Customer Reviews
the family friend - By: Mrs. Tracy A. Smith, 02 Oct 2008 
What can i say about this book! well i first it started when he was older & then childhood & then older & abit confusing. It was quite boringin parts & hard to believe that his parents let him go off with this friend every weekend for holidays etc & not wonder why he showed so much of an interestin this child & not his brothers or sisters. All through the book every time matt wanted to walk away he went back for more. Quite boringin places & nearly gave up reading the whole book through boredom. Not saying it didnt mess him up emotional but why keep going back for more!
Skilfully written - By: Xud ZUBIETA-MENDEZ, 07 Jun 2008 
I finished reading it this evening. At first, I did find it a little hard to connect with it, but I was gradually enticed & ended up appreciating the depth & the ability of Mr Lowe to convey his experience. I could imagine & sense most of the situations he describes. I found it clever the way he manages to explain the grooming process, & the strategies that his abuser cleverly used to make him dependent & to keep him silent. It is very common among sexual abuse victims to feel guilty for their victimization & Mr Lowe was not the exception, so it is hardly surprising that this comes acrossin his tale very strongly. I also found it interesting to read about the different issues regarding the eventual self disclosure & 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...? - By: Leeds lass, 27 Apr 2008 One reviewer says this book gave him/her nightmares. Why.. ? There is absolutely nothingin 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, & when the boy grew up & made it clear he was interestedin girls & 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 - & it was only as he got older he realised that it had actually been wrong & 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, & the constant going over of the guilty feelings. Life is tough for anybody who has been abusedin 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, & 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 - & 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` - & there are none.
I don`t have much room left on my many book shelves so i have to be very selective which books i keep & which go out to the bin these days, so excuse me while i just pop outside.....
A compelling read - By: Jenna M. Ali, 12 Feb 2008 I purchased this book & 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 interestin the field. Once I started, I could not put the book down. It was a chilling insight into the after effects of child abuse, & how the author dealt with the depression that came as a consequence.
I hope it brought the author relief & freedom putting his story into words & I hope it touches the hearts of those who have suffered similar abuse at the hands of someone so cruel & manipulative.
I think the author is an inspiration & I hope his story helps those that need it most.
Swept away - By: T. Bertelsson, 19 Feb 2007 Matt Lowe's book gave me nightmares, which is more than my sins have ever accomplished. I was swept away by its honesty & merciless search for some kind of a truth, or sanity.
It is a brilliant book.
