The Wacky Man

by Lyn G. Farrell

My new shrink asks me, ‘What things do you remember about being very young?’ 'It’s like looking into a murky river, I say. Memories flash near the surface like fish coming up for flies. The past peeps out, startles me, and then is gone . . . 

Amanda secludes herself in her bedroom, no longer willing to face the outside world. Gradually, she pieces together the story of her life: her brothers have had to abandon her, her mother scarcely talks to her, and the Wacky Man could return any day to burn the house down. Just like he promised. As her family disintegrates, Amanda hopes for a better future, a way out from the violence and fear that has consumed her childhood. But can she cling to her sanity, before insanity itself is her only means of escape?

Genres: Fiction, Mental Illness, British Literature

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2016

About the author

Lyn G Farrell is the winner of the 2015 Luke Bitmead Bursary Award for her debut novel, The Wacky Man. The story focuses on Amanda, hoping for a better future as her family disintegrates, for a way out from the violence and fear that has consumed her childhood. Can she cling to her sanity before insanity itself is her only means of escape?
Lyn is currently working on her second novel, studying creative writing with the University of East Anglia and experimenting with flash fiction.
You can contact Lynv ia Twitter @FarrellWrites

BACKGROUND

Lyn G Farrell grew up in Lancashire where she would have gone to school if things had been different. She studied Psychology as an undergraduate at the University of Leeds, later gaining a teaching degree and then a Masters in ICT and Education. She has worked in a number of academic roles and is looking forward to retirement to get back to her writing!

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads giveaways. Thank you to the author, Lyn G. Farrell, and the publisher, Legend Times Group, for the opportunity.

I felt a little conflicted whilst reading this and I still feel conflicted after giving it 5 stars. The writing was undoubtedly deserving of every one of them; it had such a beautiful, lyrical quality that had me rewriting quote upon quote in my notebook to commit them to memory. The story itself was powerful and so deeply and utterly sad in a way that gave no respite for happiness. And this is where my conflict lies: I was a mess whilst reading this. A complete and utter mess! This book hit all of my triggers and I dually hated and loved it for its ability to effect me this way. There was undoubted power in the narrative to make me feel this way and I can honestly say that no book has ever before effected me so totally. The sadness lingered long after finishing this book and I felt burdened by my distress. I could dually acknowledge its brilliance whilst despising the hold it continued to have on my happiness. Despite my tears, I deemed any book able to extract such fierce emotions to be wholly deserving of five stars!

This book is dark and it deals with touching subjects such as the psyche, depression and anxiety, abuse, bullying and grief. It does so in a way that sucks you in to the narrative, even without the atypical chronological timeline. As I myself suffer from both anxiety and depression, I feel the topics all combined to trigger the extreme emotional response from me. I could fully relate to the protagonists predicament, despite never (thankfully) having suffered anything as harsh and harrowing as she has, in her short life. I am on one end of the spectrum of mental illnesses and she is, sadly, further up this metaphoric scale. She represented a slippage in life I myself fear for everyday: when life becomes meaningless. I feel it is something probably everyone has encountered at some point. Life loses focus and we, ourselves, lose our ability to fight.

Despite my sadness of yesterday, I have decided today to take strength from the story. I have decided that this story has given me hope where none seems to exist. This is just one story and my own story does not have to correlate. Apologizes if this review has little to do with the actual book and more to do with my own life and feelings but if you took anything from this I hope it would be to go and read this book. Its story is a powerful one and deserves to be told!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trigger warning: child abuse!

The reason for my 1 star is simply that, as goodreads rating system says, I did not like it.
Does that mean The Wacky Man is a bad book or poorly written? Of course not. The author did an amazing job with an awful story.

So why the 1 star? Why didn't I like the book? Because of all the hate and suffering in this story. Because even now I feel like crying, but cannot because I'm too angry. There was no satisfactory ending for me. I wanted the tormented family avenged. I wanted that pathetic excuse of a man punished in some way. Was law so lenient back then? Nobody cared that a monster was constantly beating toddlers? How can there be so much ignorance and hatred in the world?

Should you read the book? Be my guest. Just make sure that you're ok with the story first. The only reason I didn't DNF The Wacky Man is the fact that I got the copy from NetGalley.

*Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Fictionophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking novel that packs a visceral punch!

“The Wacky Man” is a compulsively readable debut novel that expounds upon the life of Amanda May. Amanda is fifteen when we meet her and she is a scarily intelligent and seriously mentally ill girl. Her illness stems from a lifetime of both physical and emotional abuse. She has retreated – both mentally and physically. She has detached herself from a world that is just too painful for her to endure. She has become a recluse and has spent the past year in her bedroom. Not even venturing out to eat. Her mother timidly leaves her food just outside the bedroom door. She pulls out her hair (literally) until she has a bald strip down the middle of her head which she terms a ‘reverse Mohawk’. She injures herself in other ways as well. She cuts herself with a broken mirror, She is a self-fulfilling prophecy. She has NO self-esteem and considers herself fat, ugly and deformed. Her shrink tells her she has ‘extreme anxiety’, but she says her introverted behavior is a result of her not wanting to bring notice upon herself.

The reader also has a chance to learn more of Amanda May’s mother, Barbara, and her abusive hard-drinking Irish father, Seamus. We learn of the time when they were first married – before and after the birth of their three children, the twins, Jamie & Tommo, and Amanda.

We learn of Barbara’s slow surrendering to her dismal circumstances. Of her prescription haze that gets her through her traumatic days. Her home (or rather Seamus’ house) is a battlefield from which she can find no refuge. Despondent and afraid for her children, she feels impotent, trapped, and condemned to live a life of despair. Eventually she is so battered down by her life that she becomes apathetic and does not intervene when her children need her most.

From Amanda’s memory we learn of the horrendous abuses Seamus inflicted upon all three of his children. A master of Irish charm and smiles to the outside world, when he enters the door he vents all of his frustrations and inferiority complex on his defenseless children.

When Amanda wacks off school (slang for truancy), she calls the truant officer the Wacky Man. Then when her father literally whacks her for ‘wacking it’, the name transfers to her father. A man whom the family moves around like crabs, sideways on so that they can always see him…

We learn of Amanda’s fierce intelligence and lack of schooling. Her intellect makes her aware of the bad and evil in everything she sees and reads about. She can no longer recognize that there is any goodness in anything. We weep for her. We read with a lump just below our throats.

“The Wacky Man” is sad, disturbing, and so real that the reader fears that the author must have some first hand knowledge of this kind of pain… It is a novel that depicts the result of severe family dysfunction. Set in Lancashire, but it could be anywhere. Anywhere where there are abusive fathers and abused children. Difficult to read – but so compelling and well-rendered that it SHOULD be read. It takes strength to read this brutal and harsh look into a life of suffering… But if you do it will leave Amanda May unforgettable – and you – changed.

This astounding debut is the winner of the 2015 Luke Bitmead Bursary, the United Kingdom’s biggest prize for unpublished authors.

Thanks to Legend Press via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wacky Man is quite a heart breaking and emotional read.

Amanda has serious issues with her mental health. She has seen numerous shrinks that make her go back and recall incidents in her life that have made her into the person she is at the tender age of fifteen.

I have to say my heart really went out to Amanda as well as her mum and brothers. Unfortunately the years of physical and mental abuse from the husband/father have taken it’s toll on all the family and has affected them all in different ways. I think the two boys found it the easiest to deal with and left home as soon as they could but for Amanda and her mum they have taken more of the brunt and are the worst affected.

All Amanda wants is a loving home and to feel the love of her parents. Unfortunately as her home life is very far from perfect she has her own way of dealing with things like hitting herself and pulling her hair out. As a parent I was appalled at the way Amanda’s father treated them all and was annoyed at Barbara, Amanda’s mother, for not standing up to him and letting things get so bad.

The beginning of the story really intrigued me though I have to admit I did lose my way a bit in the middle and struggled to see where the story was going but by the end I totally got it and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

The Wacky Man gives an insight in how a child tries to cope with years of being mistreat and living in a loveless home. Overall it is a powerful and hard hitting story that by the end proved to be an emotional read. It will certainly, as a parent, make you sit back and realise how your actions can have a huge impact on your child and make you want to give them an extra tight hug.

Many thanks to Legend Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wacky Man, by Lyn G. Farrell, recounts in painful, vivid detail the childhood of Amanda, whose vicious father took out his anger and frustrations on his children with a cruelty it is hard to comprehend. The story opens with Amanda talking to her ‘new shrink’, trying to piece together the fractured memories of her past. It is a past filled with fear, yet the bruises she carried were as nothing compared to the emotional damage endured. The beatings she suffered hurt from the outside in. The barrage of words which bombarded her both at home and at school cut from the inside where they festered, damaging the goodness that should have been nurtured.

Amanda’s father, Seamus, came from Ireland where he had a large and sprawling family, many of whom never accepted his English wife, Barbara. He worked in a factory and was regarded as hard working and jovial, seen to be providing a good home for his wife and twin sons. He put up with the banter about his background, taking home the resentment he felt at how he was treated by his peers.

Barbara also resented how her life had turned out. She rarely intervened when her husband beat their young children in the name of discipline. They lived a life on edge, always fearful of Seamus’s violent reaction to the slightest provocation.

As the youngest child, Amanda was born into a family already suffering. She was a noisy, demanding baby but started off wanting to please. She absorbed her father’s cruel taunts, his kicks and fists. Her mother appeared impotent, often drugged up on medication. Despite references to social services, nobody seemed willing to act in the best interests of the children.

The unfolding story is told from Amanda’s point of view but never descends to the style of a popular misery memoir. It is a first hand account of an abused child, their thoughts and feelings, dreams that morph into nightmare. Each incident is recalled as a snapshot from a troubled life, the detail told in a manner that is factually shocking but never gratuitous.

Amanda’s treatment over the fifteen years narrated leaves her damaged beyond anything imaginable. It is hard to see how it could be allowed to happen, yet this too is explained. When the father owns the house and provides the only income how is a woman to leave with three young kids and survive? In the competitive environment that is school, children are inherently cruel to one another. When kindly teachers try to help a pupil who is physically violent and abusive, who turns on them for reasons they cannot comprehend, how much can they practically do? Amanda saw many psychologists but struggled to tell them what they needed to know. Adults and children talk different languages.

It is hard to avoid blaming the wider family for not doing more but perhaps this was a product of the times. These were staunch Catholics, church going people who would frown upon marriage breakdown. What went on behind closed doors was rarely regarded as any business of those outside.

The extent of the damage being wrought was not understood. A story such as this can help counter such ignorance by laying out in raw and harrowing detail the full effect of childhood abuse, emotional as well as physical.

A searing, challenging tale written not to engender mawkish sympathy but rather to promote understanding. This is a stunning, agonising debut from a talented writer.

My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Legend Press.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reviewing books for Legend Press for some years now. I like them, they are a small, intimate, independent publishing house who publish very original and ground breaking novels from some of the finest authors around. I like the intimacy of Legend Press, I like their teamwork and their loyalty, and am rarely disappointed by anything that they publish.

The Wacky Man is one of those books that totally consume the reader, from the first few paragraphs, right through to the final chapter, there is no escape from the images that Lyn G Farrell so expertly draws. She really is an author to watch out for, it is almost unimaginable that The Wacky Man is her debut, it is so cleverly written. The story is terrifying, and stimulating, and absolutely heart breaking. I went through such a range of emotions whilst I was reading this book.

There will be readers who will shy away from the story that makes up The Wacky Man. It pulls no punches and it is stark, and dark and severe. Teenage Amanda is angry, bitter, damaged. She is dirty, foul mouthed and abrasive, but she is also vulnerable and desperate. Amanda's life has always been the same; the youngest child of three; unwanted and unloved by her father, and neglected by her downtrodden and terrified mother.

Amanda's parents; Seamus and Barbara were never a match made in heaven. Irish Catholic Seamus, with his hatred for the English and his overuse of heavy fists and boots married the pregnant Barbara and made her life hell. Amanda's elder twin brothers did take their share of the anger and beatings, but it was Amanda 'the girl' who suffered the most. Made to believe that she was useless, fat, ugly, stupid, she soon began to believe it herself, and despite episodes of respite and retaliation, Seamus succeeded in his quest to put out any spark of life that both Amanda and Barbara may hide beneath the surface.

Lyn G Farrell writes with incredible insight, I don't know of her background, I don't know how she's captured Amanda's life so well, but she really is one of the most talented and gifted authors that I've come across for many years. Mental anguish, brutality, family relationships, fear and ignorance; these themes make up the heart of this story.

The Wacky Man really is a stunning piece of work, and I have no doubt that it will be up there in my
Top Books of 2016

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[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is narrated by Amanda, just a teenager, she looks back at her life in a series of flashbacks and memories, emerging from her damaged and fractured mind. No sweet coming of age story this.

Her life was dominated by her loathsome and violent father, he bullied and mistreated Amanda’s Mum and twin brothers mercilessly, but saved his really psychotic nastiness for his only daughter whom he despised and loathed, ensuring she grows up despising and loathing herself.

This story is brutal and shocking, it’s grim and dark and to be honest hardly any light seeps in to the book never mind between the drawn curtains of the bedroom Amanda has concealed herself within, too damaged and confused to face a world that can inflict such pain on a youngster. It’s far removed from your usual misery memoirs, though. It’s not angling for sympathy and full of heart wobbling anguished pleas. It’s literary and caustic and very thought provoking.

The story tells at first how her Mother met her Father, we are taken to Ireland to visit his completely loathsome family of bog-Irish who really are gutter trash with only one or two members who are a little kinder, so it’s hardly surprising he turns out not to be the dashing knight in armour Ma hopes for. The fact that Amanda can write sensitively about her family background is the only glimmer of hope I had that she retains some empathy for them.

We then go on to experience her life in England, her early school years and watch things spiral out of control for Amanda. The more she is bullied by her sicko Dad telling her she is worthless, ugly and useless, the less likeable she becomes to those around her who see not a child in need of help but a tearaway refusing to conform and she becomes as much of an enemy to herself as The Wacky man is to her.

That the tale is told from deep within the fractured psyche of a mentally and physically abused child is apparent from the way she skitters about from one thought to another. The ending left me with my heart in my mouth and a lump in my throat.

But … what I found most UTTERLY horrifying and terrifying is the fact that I had read in advance, the article by this author, freely admitting that although this is a work of fiction, her debut novel is based on her own tough, brutal and horrifying experiences!

When I read a novel like this the only saving grace is that I can tell myself, “It’s not real, it’s not happening to a real person, this is all made up” but all the way through this I worded how much of it was based on the authors real experiences. I think I probably don’t really want to know. If even 10% of the events in the book have happened in the author’s own past then I applaud her for having the perspicacity to turn it around and create a novel about it, thumbing her nose at her own Wacky man and triumphing.

To Amanda (and Lyn) I just want to send the HUGE hug which the child deserved and never got.

My thanks go to the author for providing me with a copy of her book to review impartially and frankly, for writing an article for my own humble little blog and I wish her every success with this unusual and haunting book.

[Sumaiyya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Review: A difficult read that resembles the haunting nature of abuse and mental illness. Read this if you're looking for realistic portrayal.

I had to take my time with The Wacky Man because the prose was haunting and affected my mood quite a bit. We follow two narratives; the first person narrative of Amanda as she talks intimately about her broken life, and the third person narrative that gives insight into Amanda's family, especially her mother. The former narrative is extremely personal and very intimate. It pulls you in as more than just an observer, you become a part of Amanda's story. Farrell's writing is so heavy with emotions and clarity of what she wants you to know about the issues, it's proof that she's writing from experience. Her own life was extremely difficult and she went through similar experiences. We really see how dismembered Amanda feels due to the continual emotional and verbal abuse she faces. The portrayal of body dysmorphia was done extremely well and added to the extreme insecurity Amanda faced. We also get insight on the humiliating situations Irish people are sometimes faced with in Britain. I think the book touched upon many sensitive and important issues which were all tackled with honesty and responsibility. Farrell doesn't pull her punches and she shouldn't. This is a brilliant novel that I think everyone should read.

Thank you so much Legend Press @legendpress for sending me The Wacky Man!

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a harsh read! This reads like a panic attack- and while I'm not supposed to quote I have to say this sentence hit me between the eyes with it's raw honesty about abusers. "We moved around him like crabs , sideways on so we could always see him. We spoke ghosts might speak, in whispers and murmurs, so that the noise didn't carry. But still he swelled and swelled with anger..."
This novel is a ticking time bomb, and our poor damaged Amanda is the voice of every victim you have ever met, or never will. I felt a sunken thing in my gut by the novels end, and I imagine that is the point. It's a therapy session, it's a confession- it's a cry for help and a rejection of it too. Without giving too much away, The Wacky Man is written a bit differently than other novels I have read similar in subject. You keep waiting for something hopeful, much like someone suffering trauma surely does and Amanda is lost, just lost in the aftermath of abuse. I am still trying to settle my thoughts... Wacky Man indeed!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a nice, easy, fun read - walk away. Actually, run away, because this is one of the most gut-wrenching, tear-your-heart-out, make-you-want-to-crawl-in-bed-and-cry books I've read. It's also one of the best portraits of mental anguish that has ever existed. In the beginning, we meet Amanda Duffy, a teenager who has not left her room in months, whose mother and therapist have to sit in the hallway and speak to her through the door. The story then switches to 3rd person, and we learn the reasons for Amanda's anguish, the violence that littered her childhood.

I had to read this one in spurts, following a few chapters with a humorous palate-cleanser. The writing is amazing! It's obvious that the author has experience with emotionally troubled teens. Just don't start this one without preparing yourself.

Thank you to Legend Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

[Megalion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. Looking back at the synopsis, I can see that I interpreted who the Wacky Man might be as an outside character that ... was actually wacky. To me, wacky is weird, different, non conformist, and at times, somewhat uncomfortably so.

Who it turns out to be, isn't actually very surprising but wasn't what I expected.

But what was disappointing, "wacky" meant unpredictably and often violently volatile.

Maybe the story is decent if you go in with more accurate picture of what you're getting into but for me, I never recovered from it. Nor did the book end up twisting to a point where the title was justified.

I didn't like the book because it was one of those dysfunctional family with heavy abuse themes books that are very depressing. With no redeeming reason to read it.

I wouldn't recommend this book.

Your mileage may vary.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, but I deducted the .5 star for the abysmal copyediting (many words repeated, deleted or in the wrong order). Take one part Anne Enright and one part Sade, and you basically have this novel. The title is something of a misnomer, not only because 'wacky' means something different in the US (i.e., silly, oddly amusing) than it does in the UK (i.e., truancy), but the titular character is only a minor one (although he is also supposedly a symbol of the protagonist's sadistic father also). It's a quick and involving read, but not sure it 'works' ultimately. And the alternation of sections in the first and third person doesn't really add anything.

[Mark Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure where to start with this review. Guess I have to admit that the author would have been a closer school friend of mine, had she been there more often, so our links go back 35+ years, but hopefully this won't detract from the value of my review

I've seen a number of 5-star reviews for this debut novel on book related sites and blogs over the past couple of weeks. They all mention the harrowing nature of the subject matter, one or two mention the odd expletive that is contained in the pages, and there has even been the odd "book of the year" … so no need for me to go into all of that. Take it as written

This novel does not read like a first novel from a new, unknown author. It flows. It gets hold of you on page 1 and does not let go. As the narrator, Amanda, says at the beginning of chapter two, "we know how this is going to end, don't we". Yes, we do - but we don't know the journey that we are going to be taken on to get there. The story just flies along and takes the reader along with it and at the end, perhaps just a "wow!", or a "phew!"

The author spent her formative years in Littleborough, nestling in the south Pennines. The story is not hers, but some of the landmarks that feature in the life of Amanda, our anti-heroine, are real. The white path is still there, connecting the estate that the author lived on, with mine. Ashe Labs has long gone, as has the mill beyond the fence behind the sports hall ... weird to read a story that you can visualise - and then walk the route described in the novel, for old times sake. Spent some time trying to figure out if the teachers are based on any of those who taught at Littleborough High in the late 70s/early 80s. I think I might know Mr Kramm and Miss King, and even Miss Price (not their real names, obviously) ... but then again, who am I to try and second-guess the author on this

The Wacky Man is not a comfortable read. Perhaps more of us than are prepared to admit it, may have known an Amanda when we were at school - but of course, when you are a school kid from a "normal" home/family, perhaps you don't realise at the time what the Amanda you know, is going through behind the closed door of home ... maybe you would have extended a hand of friendship had you realised ...

I could go on - but won't. Suffice it to say, you won't be disappointed if you buy this book

Oh, one last thing ... it's The WACKY Man, not The Wacky MAN. Get the emphasis right, will you? In our neck of the woods, the wacky man was the truant officer, not an odd-ball!

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen The Wacky Man reviewed on a couple of my favourite blogs and I immediately added it to my wishlist. I was therefore thrilled when the publisher got in touch to offer me the chance to review this book for the blog tour.

The Wacky Man is a very powerful and moving novel. It’s an unflinching look at how childhood abuse, and abuse within a marriage, causes such damage – not just physical damage but the emotional impact. It shows how even once the bruises have healed and the perpetrator of the violence is no longer in the home, that the devastation remains for such a long time. It causes breakdowns between the victims because although each person lived through it, they all got broken in a different way and it can become impossible to put things back together.

I found some aspects of this book very difficult to read, some parts because there are small echoes of experiences in my own life and some parts because it was just so harrowing to read. At no point did I want to stop reading though as the novel just pulls you right in and doesn’t let you go. I wanted to know if Amanda was going to be ok, and was desperately hoping she would be. I have such a vivid image of her in my mind, she feels like a real person to me as she was so well written and this makes the novel feel all the more devastating.

Lyn G. Farrell’s writing style is incredible – to write about such harrowing things and yet make it so compelling, and at times, really quite beautiful is a rare talent. I can absolutely say that this is a book that will stay with me for a very long time to come, and I feel sure it will be in my top books of this year.

I received a copy of this book from Legend Press in exchange for an honest review.

The Wacky Man is out now and available Amazon.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Amanda May...
Amanda May doesn't have an easy life, she's young but has lived more experiences than she should. Her story is not easy to read, but you will be stuck into it, wanting to know more.
If you are searching for an easy read, this book is not for you; this is an intense and sad voyage on Amanda's life, but it will not leave you indifferent.
You will read this book as an Amanda's guest, she will share with you her experiences and stories; her childhood, her parents relationship.... you will feel the same pain and fear as herself.
Lyn G. Farrell won the 2015 Luke Bitmead Bursary Award with this book, but I am sure it will not be the only award she wins. This is one of these books that you will recommend to everyone, is choking, scaring and sad, but Amanda's story has to be shared, to guide all of the Amanda May's in the world without the voice to ask for help.
This is the first book of Lyn G. Farrell but I liked so much The Wacky Man that I will be waiting for her next book!
Are you scared of The Wacky Man?

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and emotional story of Amanda, a young girl with serious mental health issues as a result of a lifetime of abuse at home. When we meet her she refuses to even leave her room and gradually we go back in time to discover what a nightmare she and her family have been enduring. This is a hard-hitting novel indeed, and one which feels totally convincing and authentic. I can only imagine the author has had some first-hand experience. She gets to the heart of what the effects of abuse really are, whether physical, psychological or emotional, and what abuse can do to a family and the individuals in it. The result is a brutally honest and searing account which cannot fail to move, but also enlighten, the reader. This is an excellent piece of writing, especially for a debut novelist, well-crafted, well-paced and very well-written.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tears rolling down my cheeks. Review will follow over next few days.
If you get a chance...please read this book.
Heartbreaking! Raw!

My Full Review (6 Dec 2016)

The book that sent my emotions into overdrive…..

The Wacky Man by Lyn G Farrell

Published by Legend Press May 2016, following on from Lyn achieving the 2015 Luke Bitmead Bursary, The Wacky Man is described as a ‘Raw, unflinching debut novel that journeys through one girl’s abusive upbringing and the catastrophic effects this can have’

This is a very, very special novel…..read on for my very emotional thoughts...

Amanda May, fifteen years of age, is the victim of terrible domestic abuse. Born out of a loveless marriage, Amanda’s story is one that made my heart bleed.

Seamus and Barbara, her parents, were the product of two very different backgrounds. Seamus, an Irish emigrant, works hard and is quite popular among his peers. He attracts the eye of Barbara, a young polite English girl. They date, Seamus drinks too much and too late Barbara realises the type of man she is with. Forced into a marriage against her wishes, Barbara makes do with Seamus’ drunken lovemaking ‘pawing at her in the dark' and general angry demeanor. She learns to sidestep him when necessary. She learns to survive……until….

Twins, Jamie and Tommo arrive and Barbara finds herself not able to cope. With what is thought to be postnatal depression, Barbara is medicated. Unable to communicate properly as the medication ‘has poked holes in her memory’…she has thoughts ‘about intent and damage but no matter how much she tries to hold on to them, they fall through her sieve-like brain and land in a dark heap God knows where.’

Barbara and the boys begin to judge Seamus’ moods

‘Now the boys tiptoe around at home, unsure of Seamus who blows hot and cold with them, play-fighting one minute, snarling the next. And she makes very little noise…she sighs the way she’s learned to, on the inhale of breath. Seamus doesn’t notice this, it doesn’t disturb him. Her sighs, like her thoughts, are soundless.’

Amanda’s arrival into the world is a few years later and the destiny facing this poor child is a living nightmare.

Amanda is quite an unsettled baby and Seamus is unable to handle her crying and screaming.

‘Though Seamus’ bellowing is enough to have the boys quaking, the baby just keeps screaming right through it, in the end driving him cursing, out of the room.’

The relationship between Amanda and her father is a tragedy. He is a pig of a man with a serious chip on his shoulder.

The Wacky Man takes place during the troubles in Northern Ireland. Bombings in England, attributed to the IRA, turn neighbour against neighbour. Seamus, with very strong views, finds himself in many a scrap but his anger is at it’s worst when he comes home.

Over the years, the violence against his children gets worse. Their normality is skewed and they regularly fight among themselves, emulating the actions of their father, quite often injuring each other.

The beatings get worse until one day things change.

Seamus makes a trip home to Ireland. While he is away, Jamie and Tommo decide enough is enough and leave. Amanda is left with only her mother to defend her.

On Seamus’ return, what follows is a harrowing and very disturbing pattern of violence inflicted on a child. Amanda, helpless to his lashings, both physical and verbal, develops a shell. She becomes the victim of bullies in school, the teachers forsake her (all bar one) and her mother withdraws completely into herself.

The house is left to disrepair. Food is a luxury and eventually Amanda retreats inside not just to her bedroom but inside her head, where nobody can hurt her.

The Wacky Man is a novel deserving of the highest praise.

Lyn G Farrell has written a very raw and quite distressing novel about the affects of domestic violence. Written in an era where this kind of violence was swept under the carpet and kept behind closed doors, Amanda’s story should be told to the world.

We are all very exposed,on a daily basis, to harrowing images on our screens, yet the tragedy that is domestic violence is still something most of us know nothing about.

The Wacky Man does not make for an easy read but that is more the reason to read it. The subject matter is upsetting. It will open your eyes a little more to the world that we live in. These horrors are happening right in front of our eyes. It could be a friend, a neighbour, a relative…

No review I will ever write will do justice to this book. It is heartbreaking. It is wonderfully written. It is somebody’s truth……

Lyn G Farrell is an extremely accomplished writer. Her ability to expose the reader to such traumatic events and to incur such a reaction is a powerful tool.

I will not easily forget The Wacky Man and neither should you…

[Kelsi H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please check out all of my reviews at http://ultraviolentlit.blogspot.ca!

Amanda was severely abused as a child, and now as a teenager she has locked herself in her bedroom and refuses to come out. Her “shrink” asked her what she remembers about being young, and the horrific memories came flooding back, crippling her emotionally. Although her mother feeds her and tries to get her to leave the bedroom, her love has no effect on Amanda – just as when she was young, and her mother was unable to protect her from her father’s rage.

The “Wacky Man” is Amanda’s father, although it is also the name the children have for the truancy officer because “wacking it” is apparently slang for skipping school. Amanda jokes that “dad was whacking me for wacking it,” (Loc. 104) but his abuse goes beyond that. Amanda’s brothers have escaped, but they left her behind and she feels abandoned. She hopes for a way out too, beyond her violent past – but she is stuck, both in her bedroom and inside her own head.

As a new chapter begins, Amanda asks the shrink (and by default, us, her readers), “Back for some more, eh?” It perfectly describes the process of reading this novel – just scene after scene of horror and abuse. It almost becomes gratuitous because there is no real plot, and I found it hard to keep picking the book up, knowing it would be more of the same. There was no redemption for Amanda, making this a very difficult read.

The author studied psychology and works in education, making me curious about whether the character of Amanda was inspired by someone in particular. The novel doesn’t end on a happy note, which made me wonder what the author’s intentions were in writing it – is it just to show the extent of abuse? Or the impact of all our actions on the children in our lives? There are moments of insight into a child’s emotional world, possibly meant to create empathy for the damaged youth that fall through the cracks of our social systems. Amanda shows us how they become that way, through her feelings about herself: “Things like me, deformed, forgotten things, we don’t have a future. We just have a day when we no longer wake up.” (Loc. 116) Hopefully Amanda’s story can prevent more children from feeling this way.

I received this novel from Legend Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wacky Man is fascinating portrayal of mental anguish and one that is in the minority of being actually honest and not romanticised.
We first glimpse Amanda through her meetings with a therapist so it is apparent that she is a teenager deemed an outsider. But it is when she uncovers her past and her reasoning for having therapy that her situation becomes absolutely harrowing. Her abusive father and her negligent mother have broken her as a person, the two people that she should trust and should care for her the most. She is a victim in every sense, of violence both psychologically and physically, neglect and of a flawed school system. She is also is also somebody that will never receive the care she needs, it is so sad that she knows that she will always be just a case number rather than a person. But because she has gone through so much trauma she rejects the help that she is desperate for.
The Wacky Man is a well written debut and the author has handled the subject matter of mental illness with great clarity, a recommended read as I feel it sheds new light on how impossible it is for people to cope when their small world has deserted them.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wacky Man begins with Amanda, at the age of fifteen, telling the reader about the few people in her life – her shrink, one teacher she mentions, and her family. She goes on to recount, in visceral detail, the story of her own decline through a spectacularly miserable childhood. As a portrait of the effects of abuse, both physical and mental, it is outstanding. The most disturbing thing about the book is that one cannot help but fear, from the complete authenticity of the narration, that the author actually went through something similar.
The characters are convincingly drawn – the father who blames the world for every perceived slight and has to take it out on someone; the mother who no longer cares – making the book a compelling read. There are no plot twists, just an in-depth and completely believable study of disintegration. A stronger sense of time and place would have helped to locate Amanda, to understand her age and surroundings at different points in the narrative, but this detracts only minimally from a very powerful story.
A cheerful read it is not, but one that stays with you for some time after closing the book.

[Katie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I want to state that this book deals with the subjects of child abuse and mental illness so this book might not be for everyone. The book is hard to read at times because of the subject matter being so emotionally grueling. With that being said, I hope this book is able to find an audience because it is too well-written to slip by unnoticed.

Amanda has shut herself off from the world after enduring a horrific childhood full of physical and mental abuse from her father. Amanda's two brothers and her mother, Barbara, are victims as well. This book follows Barbara meeting her future husband Seamus and having three kids to Amanda's current state of seclusion from society.

This is the type of book that you will think about long after you have finished reading it. It tackles the subject of mental illness in a way that feels so shockingly realistic and unlike anything I had previously read. As you watch Amanda transform from a baby to a teenager, your heart breaks for her and the abuse she has had to endure.

I received a free copy of this book and that is my fair and honest review.

[Craig Gillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Legend for this book. Well written and great insight into abuse. Brutal and upsetting at times

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda sits isolated in the detritus of her room, self harming and pulling out her hair one strand at a time.

I don’t want to write a review of this remarkable book. I just want to repeat the word ‘stunning’ several times. Stunning, stunning, stunning.

I have no idea whether Lyn G. Farrell is writing from her own experiences, but her background in psychology certainly adds depth, credibility and authenticity to this outstanding read.

The narrative is split into Amanda’s first person dialogue with the reader that is set in the present day and a third person, chronological, present historic that describes her life so that the reader understands completely and harrowingly why and how Amanda behaves as she does. This is a study in mental health, domestic abuse, identity and utterly heartbreaking realism.

Those of us who have had the luxury of a stable and happy childhood and who haven’t suffered mental health problems will be educated by The Wacky Man. Lyn G. Farrell lays bare the suffering and consequences for those living in abusive and violent households in a way that defies the reader’s escape. Although much of the story is uncomfortable to read as Seamus rules the home with fear and hatred, it is impossible to put down The Wacky Man. My life was on hold while I read it, totally enthralled. The quality of the writing is breathtaking. Amanda’s self loathing is so well described that I felt I understood better the whole of humanity and not just a character in a book.

I must also mention the title which ostensibly refers to a colloquial term for the truant officer, but obviously refers also to the physical violence of Amanda’s father Seamus (and that of his extended family and personal experience too) as well as Seamus’ own mental health issues. To describe him as wacky is generous, but again the reader can understand how he behaves as he does. Other references include the psychiatrists Amanda is presented to who universally fail to help her.

The cover image too reflects the overall quality of the book. The image reminds me of Rorschach tests used in psychological assessment as well as suggesting that Amanda has blotted her copy book in her unsympathetic schools. It also put me in mind of the mould and dirt she describes in her home as she and her mother fall apart emotionally.

The Wacky Man is not going to be a comfortable read for all, but it is a book that deserves the highest possible praise. I can see it being one of my books of the year in 2016. I thought it was superb.

[Sal Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it’s set in Heywood.
This was a harsh but original read. The writing drew me into this appalling family. I felt that I was sneaking glimpses of their private interactions. What can anyone do?

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning debut novel by Lyn G Farrell is a darkly powerful tour de force which had a deep emotional impact on me. A must read!

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still not sure exactly what was going on for half of this book...

[Ann Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wacky Man grabs you by the throat somewhere around page 1, occasionally briefly relaxing its grip to allow you to breathe; you lower the book and take a deep breath, all the time knowing that this is merely a lull and that the agony is only a page or two away.

This haunting book tells the story of Amanda, a damaged and desolate 15-year-old who lives in the safety of her bedroom, pulling out her hair one strand at a time, comforted by the pop as each one is wrenched from her scalp. Her arms are criss-crossed with scars from the shard of broken mirror she uses to damage the body she hates. The mirror broke when she punched it, unable to bear the reflection of the fat, ugly person she perceives herself to be.

These are the visible scars, the ones she can mostly hide. Far worse are the invisible ones, the lesions of the soul that tell her she is worthless, a waste of space and air.

Told in a series of flashbacks, The Wacky Man follows Amanda's life from happy baby to withdrawn and damaged teen, broken physically and mentally by her brutal father, Seamus, an outwardly charming Irishman who rules his family by fear. The youngest of three children, Amanda watches as her twin brothers are beaten bloody, a fate she soon shares for the most minor of misdemeanours - not flushing the toilet, spilling tea, looking at her father in the wrong way. The twins initially get the worst of it, but Seamus soon turns his malice on his only daughter, relentlessly piling physical and emotional abuse onto her. Barbara, her mother, initially tries to protect her children but is gradually worn down, helpless, taking solace in soaps and cigarettes as Amanda pulls her hair out and carves her arms upstairs.

This is not an easy read. It charts the disintegration of a family, the mental destruction of a fiercely intelligent, inquisitive child. The Wacky Man is the school truant officer but is also Seamus, a brute with no redeeming qualities. The quality of the writing depicts unimaginable horror within the walls of an ordinary home. What makes the horror worse is the knowledge, freely admitted by the author in interviews, that the story is based on her own experiences and those of her siblings.

The last page will leave you reeling. This is a searing, unforgettable debut novel.

This is an honest review and I bought my copy of The Wacky Man from Amazon, where I will also post this.

[Katrina Vasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book but be warned, a feel good book that will leave you feeling all is well with the world doesn't lie within these pages. Instead we get a deeply personal and honest portrayal of life within an abusive household. Told from the perspective of the youngest child, we feel her torn between a child's love for their parents and a growing realisation that she is being betrayed by those that were supposed to love them most. Farrell is a worthy winner of the Luke Bitmead Bursary as the skill and attention to detail she has is remarkable, for any writer not just a debut novelist.

My only criticisms are that I didn't feel as connected to Amanda when she was 'in the present' (chapters were she speaks from her bedroom). What could have been a chance to get to know Amanda better and feel more sympathy for her actually had the reverse affect on me and I distanced myself from her, finding her monologue annoying. As a young adult myself, I felt that there was too much effort put into making Amanda's voice sound like a teenager, curse words, 'text speak' etc. When there actually needs to be effortlessness to her voice to reflect the fact that she doesn't care about anything anymore. Also, the ending was a little disappointing, I'm not a fan of open endings (though I know plenty of people are) and I would have liked to have a chapter or two about Amanda when she got older, could she go on to end the cycle of abuse? Did she ever find her brothers? However, I am aware that that is totally a matter of personal opinion and can't be held against the author. The moments of animal abuse also greatly distressed me as an animal lover (kicked dog and dead rabbit babies) and I wasn't convinced they were necessary.

Farrell's work is more than fiction, it's bringing light to a serious topic that needs to be addressed- for all the Amandas out there who hopefully know that help is out there if they reach out and ask. I would really recommend this book, it's a tough read at times but that's because of Farrell's skill as a writer and the nothing-held-back approach she takes (which, as a reader, I truly respect her for taking and am grateful that she did).

[Leah Moyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book last night in preparation for doing this post today and I can honestly say I am still being assaulted by a barrage of emotions. I am going to go out on a limb here, and I don't often say this, it is one of the most incredulous, brilliant and stupendous pieces of writing I have EVER read.

This story is about the lives of a family where all is not well, most live in fear. Happiness is snatched in the smallest of glimpses, before The Wacky Man comes home from work. Happiness is not an option with him around. Amanda and her two brothers are not children who are allowed to grow up and experience the best things of childhood, they are scared, they are abused and they are vulnerable.

The emotions danced around on the page, every emotion that the characters portrayed provoked a strong reaction in me. This story made me cry, but it also made me so bloody angry. Angry, at the father, angry at the way the children were treated and angry at the mother for not intervening more.

I don't know with what if any experience that the author writes this story. Her background in Psychology might have helped but I don't know. She managed to get into every one of the characters heads entirely and lay them out on the page bringing a stark, harsh reality to the story they portrayed.

Amanda is heart breaking, this poor damaged girl. The start she had to life was unfair and unjust and it shows as the book progresses the lasting damage that can occur. My heart ached for her throughout. No one to understand her and nobody that seemingly particularly cared. I think that she felt alone, unloved and abandoned.

This book is absolutely astonishing, I am pleased to have read it. There are some times when I read a book that I class as important. A story that ought to be told and ought to be read. A story with a message and this is one of those.

Important, emotionally charged, unflinching in its scope and a masterpiece of human emotion and a portrayal of the worst of behaviours. It would take flying unicorns to park up outside for this not to be on my books of the year list.

Read it for yourselves, you'll see...