The Father I Had by Martin Townsend
Monday, 02 Apr 2007 18:14
The Father I Had coincidences with National Depression Week
Published by Bantan Press, out April 2nd, hardback, 375 pages, £14.99.
In a nutshell…
Tender. Funny. Heart-wrenching. Vulnerable. Honest.
What's it all about?
The Father I Had is a tender account of the relationship between an ordinary working class father, Ron, and his son Martin with one subtle difference – the father suffers from manic depression. Mainly based during the 1960s at a time when the issue of mental health was one that was swept under the carpet, the book is told through the eyes of a son whose young life is spent walking on eggshells, from one of his father's 'high' periods to the next.
As Ron spends his days in and out of mental institutions, the various peculiar events leading up to him being sectioned fill the rest of his household with fear, anger, embarrassment and shame, but always an overwhelming sense of love towards him.
The Father I Had is published to coincde with National Depression Week 2007 (April 16th 2007), in a bid to help people understand this taboo subject.
Who's it by?
Martin Townsend has been the editor of the Sunday Express since 2001 and has nearly 30 years of journalism experience behind him, including stints at Today newspaper, You magazine, the Mail on Sunday and holding the editorship at OK! magazine.
In his first book, the veteran journalist takes time out from Fleet Street to weave together his intimate memories of the father he had.
As an example…
"I knew the moment Mum began to utter that sentence, that it was the breaking point. For weeks we could watch Dad move through every strange – and strangely predictable – step of his illness. But at a certain age it would become less predictable: the illness would shift, somehow into the atmosphere around him. When Mum began to speak there was a sickness in my stomach, a rushing in my ears, and it was as if the air was vibrating."
Likelihood of a trip to Oscars
Written like a coming of age drama, the story could make a compelling British film.
What the others say
"Sad, even tragic, but leavened with such affection and humour that laughter keeps breaking through the tears. A lovely humn to family love, The Father I Had touches the heart."
Terry Wogan
"I laughed and cried at Martin Townsend's touching account of a son's embarrassment, fear, pleasure and love in his relationship with his father who was a manic depressive. It's also a powerful indictment of a society that still fails people who have a mental illness."
Jenni Murray, Woman's Hour presenter.
So is it any good?
One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem in their lifetime and this shocking statistic makes real the fact that we will probably all be touched by the issue at some point in our lives – whether it is ourselves, our siblings, our partners, our mothers or our fathers who are the ones actually suffering from it.
The Father I Had makes the reader stand up and take notice of this somewhat taboo issue. It casts the otherworldliness of this illness into the very worldly and places at the heart of a very ordinary, very British working class family.
The author's portrayal of his father is so intimate and tender that the reader almost feels part of the Townsend family, going through the extreme emotions that the family encounters daily. We laugh, cry and also feel ashamed along with them.
But what Townsend does best is to cast off the sinister associations that come with the illness. While the family is going through what seems like a hellish time, in the midst of their struggles is the sense of family, love and duty, which makes them no different from any other family.
This is not just a book which promotes an understanding of manic depression, but one which raises up the family.
8/10
Chine Mbubaegbu
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