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'Deeply moving ... A triumph' Justin Webb'What might, in other hands, have been simply macabre becomes peculiarly mesmerising' Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday
Ten seconds before my father's death, I have a premonition - that the breath he is taking will be his last.William Leith's childhood was marked by his father's absences and as a consequence their relationship has always been a troubled one. Now, as his father lies dying, William reflects on the connections and ruptures that have marked their shared history. Can he ever really understand his father? Is there an explanation for the physical distance and emotional chasm that his father has maintained between them? And what was he running away from?
Darkly comical and told with searing honesty,
The Cut that Wouldn't Heal is a moving memoir about the pain of abandonment, grief and regret.
About the author
William Leith has worked as a columnist and feature writer at the Independent on Sunday, the Mail on Sunday and the Observer. His writing spans a wide range of subjects, from food to celebrity, cosmetic surgery, fashion and film. He has written about kings in Africa, political tension in Palestine, gold mining in the Klondike, Hollywood film directors, diet gurus and the death of James Dean. He is the author of three previous books: The Hungry Years; Bits of Me Are Falling Apart; and The Trick.
Summary
'Deeply moving ... A triumph' Justin Webb
'What might, in other hands, have been simply macabre becomes peculiarly mesmerising' Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday
Ten seconds before my father's death, I have a premonition - that the breath he is taking will be his last.
William Leith's childhood was marked by his father's absences and as a consequence their relationship has always been a troubled one. Now, as his father lies dying, William reflects on the connections and ruptures that have marked their shared history. Can he ever really understand his father? Is there an explanation for the physical distance and emotional chasm that his father has maintained between them? And what was he running away from?
Darkly comical and told with searing honesty, The Cut that Wouldn't Heal is a moving memoir about the pain of abandonment, grief and regret.
Foreword
A heartbreaking account of one man's quest to understand his father
Additional text
PRAISE FOR THE HUNGRY YEARS: Compulsively readable. I gulped it down in a couple of greedy bites ... It is a powerful memoir ... it has the unusual qualities of heart and daring. In the end, these are what stay inside you.
