"Tell me why, Mummy" by David Thomas

I devoured this book in three days, on two bus trips and two sit-down sessions. Every moment spent reading was like a space in time watching a silent movie. You didn't need the conversation to tell you what was hurting and terrifying. All you needed was your heart to feel what everyone can feel.

Not delving into the everlasting debate of Nature vs Nurture, but Thomas quickly concluded himself to be an unconfident introvert in the beginning of the book. His 'nature' attributed to the allowing of events that later he realised was wrong and perversed. Abused in all aspects, Thomas grew up not knowing parental love. But this didn't stop him from loving and being grateful to his sexually abusive mother at the end of his recollection. Despite his circumstances, Thomas did have a shot at fame and lived a more or less secured life as he grew up. However, he never managed to gain the closure he was seeking in the end which is the reason of titling this book 'Tell Me Why, Mommy?'.

Two things hit me when I finished the novel; one was that we are no different than Thomas. His craving for love and peace and his fear of provoking his parents are what we had and have. True, his situation manifested into a environment of anguish and confusion, but as children, we all felt the pangs of loneliness every once in a while. Two was that, Thomas just told his story simply. He is not the most intelligent person, but in our vernacular, he tugged a chord. It wasn't dramatic nor exaggerated. It was as if he introduced his book this way "Hey, I'm going to tell you about life and I am not looking for sympathy. I'm just throwing out my skeletons and you can have a go at reading it." I guess that's why I loved the book so much.

I hoped I haven't exposed the details of the story. But if you're looking to read about someone's sad life and not want to cry, 'Tell Me Why, Mommy?' is just the dose of melancholy.