Jack had escaped once. From that house. That street. That place. And from his parents.
As a troubled teenager, struggling with his sexuality, self-esteem, and a stammer after years of bullying and abuse, he left home and moved to another city, put together a new life and became a different person.
But years later, following a disturbing incident, he begins to unravel, which leads to a move abroad followed by a return to his childhood home.
Moving back into that claustrophobic house full of unwanted memories - with his controlling mother and her manipulative, childlike behaviour, and too many reminders of his abusive father - wasn't supposed to be for long, but as the past catches up with him, he heads towards a breakdown and finds himself trapped once again.
Genre: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gay StudiesUK average daily sales = 2 to 10 (although sometimes as many as twenty).
UK average ranking = 10,000 to 15,000 (although sometimes as high as 2,000)
US average daily sales = 2 to 5
US average ranking = 70,000 to 80,000 (although sometimes as high as 48,000)
Canada and Australia average daily sales = 1 or 2
Canada and Australia average ranking = 2,000 to 10,0000
Has been a number one bestseller on Amazon in various categories in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Although the book is only available in English at the moment, it has had some sales on Amazon in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and India.
PROLOGUE
I jolt awake in the dark, my stomach churning in panic, twitch-trembling all over as though I’ve been tasered.
It’s somewhere in the early hours of the morning. I’m in bed, curled into a tight ball under the covers, clammy with sweat, chest heaving, teeth clamped together, trying to work my hands to uncurl them from their phantom palsy.
My neck aches as I lift my head and push my face out into the cold air to get the most from the short breaths rasping through my teeth. My instincts fight to listen through the panic to identify the threat, but each clench of my stomach squeezes another bolt of fear up to my chest as my heart punches thoughts into splinters.
I know – before my instincts catch on – that there is no danger on the outside. This is all coming from somewhere inside me, and when it’s happening I’m no longer an adult in control, but as scared and helpless as a child.
It started after I moved back into this house, and although it’s been happening night and day for months now, each time is as bad as the first. I can’t prevent it; I can’t control it; I can do nothing to stop it once it starts. It feels like you’re being suffocated from the inside. All I can do is try to breathe and hang on until it’s over.
Eventually, when it has subsided enough for me to think past the next breath, I slowly uncurl and climb out of bed. My tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth and I ache all over as I stand on shaky legs and reach for something to put on. I grab a shirt, fumble it on, leave my bedroom and ease myself down the narrow staircase, clutching the banister in the dark. I head through the living room to the kitchen at the back of the house and switch on the light under the extractor hood above the cooker.
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Ricardo
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Author review: A talented, extremely professional, and fast translator who translates not just the words but also the heart of your book. Highly recommended. |
