Have you ever been reading a book and part of you thinks I just can't read this anymore but the other half of you thinks I really need to read this book?
I have just finished reading The Boy Without Love.... And The Farm That Saved Him and talk about a confronting read.
I stumbled across English author Simon Dawson's books Pigs in Clover and Sty's The Limit a couple of years ago in the library I work at. I wasn't working at the library then but the covers of the books and the synopsis on each made me want to read them. Those two books talk of his and wife Debbie's life moving from the city to become self sufficient on a smallholding aka lifestyle block in North Devon. He has pigs and sheep, two great Danes, a hilarious friend called Ziggy and is good at drinking wine and cooking delicious food. I absolutely LOVED both books. I love his writing style and laughed a lot reading them so I couldn't wait for this book's release. As soon as it was available, I bought it online.
I was hoping for another humourous book but this third book is not funny. To be honest it's one of the saddest books I've read. It's a book about Dawson's childhood, the rejection he felt by a mother who told him she didn't love him and the abuse he suffered. I cried several times reading this book. I almost couldn't finish it but I kept being pulled back to read it.
Although it's hard to read, there are lighter chapters in which he talks about life on his farm too and how his wife and beautiful pets and animals have, as the book title suggests, saved him.
It takes a very brave person to get their thoughts down in such a clear and readable way as Dawson has done in this book.
Definitely four out of five stars for this moving read.
FOOTNOTE: This book does come with a warning from Dawson of some rather graphic language.
