Skilfully written - Rated 
I finished reading it this evening. At first, I did find it a little hard to connect with it, but I was gradually enticed and ended up appreciating the depth and the ability of Mr Lowe to convey his experience. I could imagine and sense most of the situations he describes. I found it clever the way he manages to explain the grooming process, and the strategies that his abuser cleverly used to make him dependent and to keep him silent. It is very common among sexual abuse victims to feel guilty for their victimization and Mr Lowe was not the exception, so it is hardly surprising that this comes across in his tale very strongly. I also found it interesting to read about the different issues regarding the eventual self disclosure and wish to put the abuser on the limelight. Personally, I could certainly empathyse with different aspects of Mr Lowe's story.
Have i missed something...? - Rated 
One reviewer says this book gave him/her nightmares. Why.. ? There is absolutely nothing in this book that could be classed as even remotely nightmarish. The boy was exploited by an adult male who was a friend of the family. Nothing was ever forced upon him, he was never made to do anything against his will, he suffered no pain whatsoever. The male friend actually loved this boy, and when the boy grew up and made it clear he was interested in girls and not men, the family friend walked away. Not for one minute am i saying what happened to this boy was not wrong - of course it was - but he experienced sexual pleasure from the touching etc - and it was only as he got older he realised that it had actually been wrong and began to feel guilt. That is what this book is basically about - the guilt matt felt as a man when he looked back on his relationship with the family friend. I`m sorry but i cannot recommend it. I`m puzzled as to why matt lowe felt he could make a book from his experiences. It`s hard slog getting through this book as it`s so tedious, telling the day to day routine of the household, his parents petty rows, and the constant going over of the guilty feelings. Life is tough for anybody who has been abused in any way as a child, but don`t expect to use the whole world as `therapists.` There is something about the front cover of this book that i don`t like, and i very nearly didn`t buy it for that reason. I know that may sound ridiculous, but i`m one of those people who actually does judge a book by it`s cover - sometimes. I was right - i shouldn`t have bought this book - and i really wouldn`t recommend anybody else buy it - it will bore you silly. I`m always very suspicious of reviewers who rave about a book - then you check their `other reviews` - and there are none. All the other three reviewers of this book fall into that category - ranters and ravers - and i would put money on it they are friends or family of the author.
I don`t have much room left on my many book shelves so i have to be very selective which books i keep and which go out to the bin these days, so excuse me while i just pop outside.....
A compelling read - Rated
I purchased this book and I felt I had to write to say how utterly compelling I found it. I thankfully have never been a victim of abuse, but studied psychology so have an interest in the field. Once I started, I could not put the book down. It was a chilling insight into the after effects of child abuse, and how the author dealt with the depression that came as a consequence.
I hope it brought the author relief and freedom putting his story into words and I hope it touches the hearts of those who have suffered similar abuse at the hands of someone so cruel and manipulative.
I think the author is an inspiration and I hope his story helps those that need it most.
Swept away - Rated
Matt Lowe's book gave me nightmares, which is more than my sins have ever accomplished. I was swept away by its honesty and merciless search for some kind of a truth, or sanity.
It is a brilliant book.
A very powerful and moving book - Rated
I read this book today, having heard the author and his wife in a radio programme describe the traumas he had suffered, at the hands of one man, from childhood into his later life. The book is extremely well-written, although it is inevitably harrowing in its detail.
The book will be of interest to anyone who tries to make sense of their childhoods, whether they have suffered abuse or not. The Family Friend who caused so much pain to the author's family is an example of Hannah Arendt's "Banality of Evil" - someone who commits acts of evil in small, measured and calculated steps. Not a black-and-white Hannibal Lecter-type, but the man next-door, who causes unspeakable cruelty and destruction without remorse. If one parent reads this book and saves their child from another such monster, then it will have been worthwhile.
The author's description of his attempts to come to terms with what he endured over many years shows an underlying bravery which cannot fail to impress. This is a very powerful and moving narrative which will touch the hearts of any reader. A very valuable book.
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