'Deeply moving, this is the most authentic book I've read for a long time. Simon Dawson's honesty and humour shine through to make this a wonderful must-read. A surefire bestseller.' Veronica Henry, bestselling novelist and scriptwriter (The Archers, Holby City)
Simon is a grown-up.
He has responsibilities for the dependents in his life, such as a 55-stone boar called The General and Buster the Billy-goat. But while caring so well for the animals on his farm, he begins to reflect on the distinct lack of care in his own childhood.
Both funny and heartbreaking, Simon tells of a latch-key childhood that involved physical and emotional damage, losing his virginity to a much older woman, failing spectacularly at school and burning his house down, while his mother entertained her violent boyfriend and looked for someone she could give Simon away to.
In his new book, Simon decides not just to face up to the emotional damage his mother inflicted on him, but to try to understand her and achieve some kind of reconciliation before she dies. Was it his innate unloveableness, or was it something that would now be called postnatal depression?
Warm, witty and honest, the book charts the humour, the anger, the confusion, the hurt, the hate and the desperation of a mother who can't give love and a son longing for it.
Reader Reviews
'Funny, open and honest He will have you writing one second, crying the next'
'Honest, heart-rending and impossible to put down'
'Powerful, moving, funny This book is a must-read'
'Compelling, raw and brave'
'Heartbreaking a thought-provoking read'
'Engaging, amusing and entertaining'
'Well written, very sad, and very honest I loved this book'
'Deeply moving. Read it'
WARNING: Contains hazardous language
Praise for Simon Dawson:
'One of the most amusing writers I know' Simon McEwan, Country Smallholding Magazine
'Enchanting' Daily Mail
'Inspirational' The Sun
'A treasure-trove' Adam Henson, BBC One's Countryfile
Simon Dawson is an author, journalist and radio presenter. Following a drunken misunderstanding, Simon agreed to give up his London life and move to the wilds of Exmoor, where he and his wife Debbie started a 20-acre self-sufficient smallholding from scratch, packed with free-range animals.