Memoirs are often prompted by the death of a parent. Alan Davies, aged six, lost his mother to leukaemia, the unprocessed bereavement seeping inexorably through most of his subsequent life. An unruly, unhappy child, his father advised people to Just Ignore Him (Little, Brown, £18.99; Tablet price £17.09). Yet it was this man, whose secret, sexual and psychological abuse Davies eventually revealed, who provoked this searingly sad, confessional story. If only his mother had lived longer.
24 September 2020, The Tablet
Speed reading: Sue Gaisford visits memory lane
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login