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The Coward

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About this listen

A BBC Two Between the Covers book club pick.

Question: what’s worse than being in a wheelchair?

Answer: being a f--k-up in a wheelchair.

After a car accident Jarred discovers he’ll never walk again. Confined to a ‘giant roller-skate’, he finds himself with neither money nor job. Worse still, he’s forced to live back home with the father he hasn’t spoken to in 10 years.

Add in a shoplifting habit, an addiction to painkillers and the fact that total strangers now treat him like he’s an idiot, it’s a recipe for self-destruction. How can he stop himself careering out of control?

As he tries to piece his life together again, he looks back over his past - the tragedy that blasted his family apart, why he ran away, the damage he’s caused himself and others - and starts to wonder whether, maybe, things don’t always have to stay broken after all.

The Coward is about hurt and forgiveness. It’s about how the world treats disabled people. And it’s about how we write and rewrite the stories we tell ourselves about our lives - and try to find a happy ending.

©2021 Jarred McGinnis (P)2021 Canongate Books Ltd Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Funny
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I am unsure how much of this true and how much fiction but it is a beautifully written coming of age story with a difference. The authenticity of the writer’s personal experience is evident throughout and it is incredibly moving without being maudlin. It was also fantastically narrated. Can’t recommend it enough.

Touching and realistic

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It’s a long time since I read a book as well written as this, very descriptive moving about to tell the story. Jarrard’s disability is only a part of this tale & how he handles it, deliberate self -sabotage towards his self & his shocking attitude towards others. Jarrard’s mother, Jack, Patrick, Melissa & Sarah were brilliant characters, I miss them. This is a story of redemption, hope & love. Highly recommended!

Wow, loved this book!

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It sounded very interesting and it didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed the story and the narrator. My only complaint is the pronunciation of the word 'shone'. The narrator pronounced it as 'shown' which I felt grating every time.... and it was used about half a dozen times. Maybe it is just the American pronunciation, but I've never heard it before!

Recommended on Between the Covers

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Enjoyed this so much I could listen immediately again just in case I missed something. Pure. Honest. Sad. To the core. Fantastic.

Straight to the gut

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