My first review:
To say that John “Seán” Fahey's moving memoir will reduce the stoniest-hearted to tears is only one part of the story.
The cramped house in the 1960s industrial North East of England and the impoverished childhood which he describes are certainly horrific. The young Seán was loudly branded as a bastard by his alcoholic father who singled him out for frequent physical assaults while the rest of the family cowered in terror.
Seán's main refuge was school and, later in the day, the cemetery, public library, park bench, and anywhere he could escape from his father and do his homework which he would then hide in order to prevent his father from burning it.
But the real story is about how Seán's grit and invincible determination to look for the silver lining during his darkest moments helped him win through, despite apparently impossible odds.
It is also a story about astonishing kindness from unexpected quarters. About how, following his mother's plea for help, the Marist Fathers at Seán's school enabled him to transition from his life-threatening situation at home to a safe haven in a different town where he pursued a work-study program. About his bosses at the chemical plant who treated him like family. About the lady in the local shop whose kind words Seán treasured like gold. About his supportive grandparents in County Roscommon where he had spent his earliest years. About the aunt and uncle who helped him secure the grant he needed to go to university. About one of his straight friends at university who took Seán to a gay bar in Amsterdam and opened his eyes to the possibility that being gay did not necessarily mean being a criminal. About the chance encounter which led him to the US.
This relatively short book covers so much ground so compellingly that it is surprising to reflect that it only covers the author's first 23 years. A second volume must surely be in the works.
John “Seán” Fahey writes with the eye of an artist and the mind of a scientist. The artist in him shows a remarkable ability to observe that tiny detail which brings a scene to life, while the scientist in him demonstrates the precision needed to assess the impact of events in a clear-eyed manner.
At several points in the story some might feel that Seán was lucky to survive. There is an old adage to the effect that an intelligent man makes his own luck and Seán is nothing if not intelligent. And so he did survive. Older and much wiser than his 23 years, he finds his way to the US. A very long way from County Roscommon and childhood terrors in the North East of England.
512 sales to date of the paperback and ebook.
!8 reviews 17 five star. I four stsr.
#636 Kindle store LGBT
https://www.amazon.com/Survival-broken-childhood-John-Fahey-ebook/dp/B012QBBNYW
| Language | Status |
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Italian
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Manuela Dal Castello
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Spanish
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Liliana María
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