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| 'Not My Father's Son' by Alan Cumming (2015, Canongate) |
Alan Cumming may be a star of stage and screen, but this is not your average celebrity memoir. 'Not My Father's Son' is a book about family, physical abuse and the need to understand. Mr Cumming and his brother, Tom, grew up in fear of their violent father, their childhoods overshadowed by his explosive rages, their adulthoods hastened by a desire to get away as quickly as possible. Eventually, Alan was able to accept the reality of his traumatic past, through therapy and the support of friends and loved ones, but one day his long-estranged father contacts his sons with news that threatens everything. This is the story of a defining period in Mr Cumming's life, during which he not only confronts the horrors and mysteries of his own past, but coincidentally those of his maternal grandfather too.
This is a beautifully written book. Instead of being melodramatic, self-indulgent or a 'misery memoir', it reads more like a subtle suspense-thriller as Mr Cumming searches for the truth behind his ancestor's death (with the help of the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' programme) in parallel with trying to understand his father's behaviour and its affect on his own character. By moving between the past and the present, he drip feeds information and builds a tension that makes this a real page-turner.
The key theme is understanding. It's not about vengeance, it's not about pity or 'poor me', it's not about abuse voyeurism, although it could so easily have become so in the hands of another writer. I admire Mr Cumming for managing to stay focussed on the story he wanted to tell rather than slipping into sensationalism. The plain English used keeps the book simple and factual and it works. 'Not My Father's Son' is heartbreaking, thought provoking, analytical and hopeful. It also acknowledges that there were good times too, although they were often overshadowed by the fear of abuse yet to come.
Overall, I would recommend this book. Mr Cumming is brave to tell this story and to do it in this calm and honest way, especially as many fans would want a more glamorous tale littered with celebrity names and showbiz anecdotes. Instead, Mr Cumming uses the voice his success has given him to talk about something that happens at all levels of society and show us all that victims shouldn't be ashamed.
Now, back to the books.
