In Review

09 January 2009 12:24 BST

Shattered by Mavis Marsh (with Andrew Crofts)

Published by Arrow Books, out now, 320 pages, £6.99.

In a nutshell…

Moving, heart-rending, touching, tearjerker, harrowing

What's it all about?

On October 12th 1995 Mavis Marsh and her family’s lives are "shattered" when the police arrive at their door to inform them that their son Matthew has been involved in an accident. After tragically falling off a roof and being left in a coma, Matthew’s family are told that he has sustained a serious brain injury and there is little hope that the promising PhD student will ever recover.

The book goes on to show the strength of character of both Mavis and her husband, Keith, who vow not to give up on the hope that their son will recover, despite the medical opinion of both doctors and nurses that he will remain a “cabbage”.

After several months sitting at Matthew’s bedside, his parent’s dedication is rewarded when he begins to respond…

The story gives an account of the last ten years of Matthew’s difficult road to recovery, aided by his loving family.

Who's it by?

This real-life story is written by Matthew’s mother Mavis, a first time author, who wanted to tell the harrowing story of an experience that every parent would dread.

Her book was published after winning the Richard and Judy True competition.

The author recounts the feeling of helplessness and desperation upon finding out that her son may never recover from his accident, which leaves her battling with her own conscience over wishing he was dead rather than being left in a vegetative state.

As an example…

“It was a year after the National Lottery had started and all I could see in my mind was the great big hand that had appeared in the television advertisements saying, ‘It could be you’. In my imagination, it was pointing at me and saying, ‘It is you’ – not as a winner but chosen as a victim, and the tears started to roll uncontrollably down my cheeks.”

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

Not a hope. If the book had been based on an American real-life story then it probably would have been sold to a cable channel and turned into a docu-soap. Susan Sarandon would likely play Mavis and Nick Nolte would reunite with the actress to play husband Keith, while Matthew would likely be played by someone from The OC.

So is it any good?

The story is certainly retold in a moving, and at times humorous way. For example, on being told that her son has recovered from a serious case of MRSA, she responds: “There you are…. I told you that Germolene was good stuff.”

However, the author spends part of the book giving unimportant information about her upbringing and meeting her husband. When it actually comes to discussing her son’s battle to recover the reader is already over halfway through the book and therefore one of the most important parts of the book feels rushed.

The story does though strike a note with anyone who has ever experienced the upset and frustration of having a relative in hospital, giving a frank view on for instance the amount of time nurses are dedicating to their patients.

Overall, it is important to keep a box of tissues near you when you read this book; real stories don't have happy endings.

4/10


Elaine Samson

" I agree with comments that far too much was about my life and not that of the accident. I was given a ghost writer and differed in a lot of the way he portrayed this story. I just felt so lucky to be able to tell my story - it did leave me more at peace within myself putting my thoughts into word, for this I will always be thankful." - Mavis Marsh

"I have read the book, and would like to get in touch with Mavis Marsh because I am going through the same situation with my son who has suffered a serious brain injury last month so it would be nice to speak to her." - Ruby Smith

"Again I agree with the comments about the begining of the book, but at the same time it gives an insight into the personalities of the people who were to become Matthew's life line. Mavis has taken hardly any of the credit for the work done and freely admits that she didnt have the patience, but at the same time without her strength of character in other ways things would have been very different. What a lucky man to have such a dedicated family. I love the poem at the end of the book. It sums everything up and really brought a lump to my throat." - Briony Harris