The Throwaway Boy

by Alix Chapel

When Alix Chapel’s husband Billy suffered a mental breakdown, he was forced to admit the truth of his tormented childhood. His revelations were to change their lives forever. Unbeknownst to Alix, Billy had been physically and sexually abused as a child in care. Too ashamed to speak out, he had carried the burden of these horrific crimes for decades, until it almost destroyed him. Alix, Billy’s loving and devoted wife, stood by him as she helped him work through the pain and finally begin to heal. This is her amazing story of coping with the fallout of something no child should ever have to suffer. While Billy’s childhood was truly horrendous, this memoir is a testament to the power of love and understanding in guiding a couple through the most trying of times. Unlike many similar titles, The Throwaway Boy is written from a partner’s perspective and provides an insight into the often-forgotten anguish the loved ones of abuse survivors also suffer.

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mandy Downie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this very long winded, there was to much about the wife's life which wasn't interesting and not enough about what he book was supposed to be about .

[Paula casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book, as most of what i read was about alix and not her husband, i know she has to detail some of her own childhood but not every detail so much that i lost interest early on in the book x

[Rita (housefullofbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Notes:
3.5 Stars
A.C. is author's writing name
Was T's younger sister S's best friend in high school in Victoria
They never did have any children....
They are still married :)
Will debrief with T to see how they are doing.
Such a personal story, found it centred on her a bit more than it needed to but that is ok.
Could have been shorter.
Definitely hard to read abuse details.
Wish there was more about his family and how his mom basically abandoned him to this life and the abuse that he endured.....

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a bit of a morbid fascination with stories such as these, as I find it very interesting how our past shapes our present and future, and the drastic effects that past trauma can have on the development of a person. I had expected to her a lot about Billy's life, but unfortunately this story was told from the wife's perspective. It included too much information about her own childhood which I really didn't feel was all that necessary. On the whole, it was a very long-winded read, and I gave up at around 50%. It would have been much better to have alternated the narrative between Alix and Billy, given that the account is all about Billy.

[Beverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see the story from the wife's perspective of a husbands breakdown. The book was more about her perspective and how she coped with her husbands tradegy rather than the husbands story. Once I started to realise that the book was written the other way round it was more interesting but it was just a bit long winded. Not as good as some real life encounters that I have read

[Sarina]

Feel bad for saying this but initially i liked the book but then found myself skipping pages! It was good to see it from a partners point but it was very long winded. Saying that i felt so cross at what this man went through as a child and how his cries for help were ignored. This should never have happened.

[Cassy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate leaving bas reviews for a book because I know how much work it takes to publish one. But for the first time in my life, and despite my ODC tendencies, I couldn't finish a book. I understand that Alix had to show what her husband was going through from her perspective, but these chapters became endless. I also understand that she had to share stories from her past, but these were much longer than necessary. I feel like the point of the book was her husband's trauma and not the many, many pages she spent on her own feelings.

[Elleni · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have said, there was a lot about the wife’s life, where I felt there could have been more about the husband what he went through.
I also found it a very slow book and really struggled to finish it.

[Roisin Stewart-Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very long winded. I just found that the wife/author talked far too much about herself, her childhood and her feelings, her husbands trauma being an afterthought.

[Mrs Gillian M Grant]

A Good Read

The story is well written and very emotional kept me enthralled to the very end. Would recommend this true story to anyone who is interested in the after effects of child abuse.

[Peter Whitehead · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book!
This book is more about the author rather than her hubby...don't buy, read or download!
After reading this book my thoughts were of the author 'I love me...who do you love?'
I would of thought the authors hubby would of had something to say...especially at the end of this book. I also can't believe the authors hubby let his wife write this book, when in fact, this book has very little to do with him.

[Tracy Bethell · Rating 5 out of 5]

really sad,but interesting