Shtum cover art

Shtum

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Shtum

By: Jem Lester
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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About this listen

Ben Jewell has hit a breaking point. His 10-year-old son, Jonah, has severe autism, and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope.

When Ben and Emma fake a separation - a strategic decision to further Jonah's case in an upcoming tribunal - Ben and Jonah move in with Georg, Ben's elderly father. In a small house in North London, three generations of men - one who can't talk, two who won't - are thrown together.

As Ben battles single fatherhood, a string of well-meaning social workers and his own demons, he learns some difficult home truths. Jonah, blissful in his innocence, becomes the prism through which all the complicated strands of personal identity, family history and misunderstanding are finally untangled.

Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, The Shock of the Fall and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

©2016 Jem Lester (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Satire Comedy Feel-Good Funny Heartfelt Tear-jerking Witty

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Most relevant
Shtum tackles the real, gritty side of caring for a severely autistic child with no hope of improvement in behaviour. And also the realism of being a functioning alcoholic, coping with a failing marriage and an elderly parent.
But despite this, it had humour, rather black humour but funny moments nonetheless.
Overall it was an enjoyable listen, and if I'm to criticise the storyline without throwing in spoilers, the final chapters were slightly tacked on to the rest of the book, and the lucky coincidences all were a bit too pat.
It is clear from the writing that the author, Jem Lester, has coal-face experience dealing at least some these challenges, giving the book excellent realism. The narrator did a good job - no complaints there.

Tackling a number of difficult topics with humour

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the story was great and the narrator was even better. my wife and son listened to it also and felt the same.

best Audio book of the year for me!

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So real, I laughed, cried, felt angry and smiled a lot during this book. An honest account of life, parenthood, love, family, Borough councils establishment and history. Well done, great book.

Loved this book

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Shtum is a wonderfully uplifting account of one man's struggles with his autistic son, the local authority, his wife, his father and his own demons. Jem Lester has chronicled Ben's story in a moving and eloquent manner. My emotions were put through the wringer, and I veered haphazardly from sorrow to fury via despair with glimmers of hope thrown in. There were a number of occasions when I had to struggle with the lump in my throat. (People look at you weirdly if you're walking the dogs with tears streaming down your face). My initial frustration with Ben turned into hero worship without me even realising it. My love and connection to his father never wavered and though, at first, I was angered by Emma's narcissism, the reveal that she was in fact the most loving and generous of mothers came through loud and clear by the end. Mr Lester has captured our hearts with this, at times, shocking account of Ben's daily routine with his son. I was never in any doubt regarding the depth of his love for Jonah and I'm sure that after reading this book, Jonah will have an army of people rooting for him to find enjoyment and peace. It was only once I'd finished the book did I realise that I'd been holding my breath and crossing my fingers for the entire time. I'm thrilled and privileged to be able to highly recommend this remarkable book. An exquisite reminder of the joy of reading.

Wonderfully uplifting

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I was totally immersed in this book which the reader brought to life so very well. It is very sad in places and funny in others. I've never reviewed a book before (and I have read and listened to lots). I just felt that this one deserved it on every level, performance, the story and the writing and the fact that I will remember it and will miss the characters very much.

I will miss this family

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