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ljm57's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*The title of this memoir gives some hint of Alan Davies’ upbringing in a tragically dysfunctional family. After the death of his loving and protective mother at the age of six, an event which was handled appallingly by his father and grandparents, Alan spends the rest of his young life feeling unloved by, and isolated from, his siblings and his peers, a situation engineered by his despotic and abusive father. Such a sad story of a confused little boy, growing into an angry young man who felt the only way to be noticed or exact some kind of revenge was to act out using anti-social behaviour. Little did he know that he was playing right into the hands of his manipulative father. Powerful and thought-provoking. In some parts I thought the writing exceptional, in others a bit wordy, repetitive and clumsy.
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
This is not the book I expected it to be. But it is an important one, and a book I won't forget for a while.
Davies is inherently funny and his humour is often self-deprecating. But shedding light on the trauma of his childhood really puts all of that in context. By examining his relationship with his family - and his father in particular - he unpacks a lot of emotional issues and lifelong struggles.
He speaks with fierce honesty and humility, holding nothing back. This isn't always an easy read, and it's incredible how it manages to be funny and heartbreaking, sometimes in the same sentence.
Incredibly brave and fascinating, this is one of the best memoirs I've read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
strangeauntjudy's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
5.0
I think this is my favorite memoir ever. The loneliness and the laughter are equally vivid and to think of all he went through to make sense of his own story, then tell it, it’s such an inspiration to me.
namitree's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced