Friday 10 August 2012

lover, husband, father, monster (review)

I've just finished reading a book from the library.  The title intrigued me, so I thought it'd be worth a read.  Lover, Husband, Father Monster is written in two parts, by a real husband and wife team, Else and Graeme Johnstone.  An interesting concept... She writes 'her' story.  He writes 'his story'.  Of an affair. Started when an old uni relationship is rekindled years later through Facebook, set mainly in Dublin.  

I must admit, initially I struggled to get into 'her' story.  It felt like I was catching up with a friend that I hadn't seen for years and I was getting a bit bored and hoping she'd hurry up and get to the interesting bits.  So I skimmed, then I got hooked and it did indeed get interesting.  'His' story even more so, because I prefer to read about people who are different to me, to get an insight into how another person thinks and feels.  I liked getting both sides of a story.  A bit like being a therapist and getting the truth from both sides.

It's a depressingly realistic story.  An ill suited couple destined to fail, children caught in the middle. It's sad and real and honest. A story that I really need to discuss with someone who has also read it, because things happen in the book that are similar to things that have happened recently (in the news) and it does my head in to think how people can do the things they do, how twisted minds can get.  

Consequences. Love. Hate. Control. Processions. I can't say anymore because I don't want to ruin the story and it's conclusion for anyone who might read it...

Would I recommend it?  Yes, definitely.

No comments:

Post a Comment