Aftershocks: The story of how one man used the memories of his childhood abuse to fight for his past and his future.

by Andrew James

In his second book, Andrew James takes us through his true story as a child abuse survivor and what it is to be an adult still carrying the scars of that abuse. For most who read stories of childhood abuse, the story ends when the book closes but for those who have lived the horror, the story never ended. Aftershocks is the harrowing tale of a man plagued by the events of his youth, now as a man. On the edge of losing everything he has worked to accomplish, Andrew’s only hope now is to face his past, relive the memories of his childhood that were the source of so much pain and anguish and confront the Demon within him that he has created. Andrew James weaves beautiful poetic writing with a vivid sense of detail and painful honestly that allows the reader to travel with him as he fights a battle on two fronts, confronting the Demon of his past and saving the reality of his present.

171 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2019

About the author

Andy worked in commercial television, live events and brand consultancy before buying a contract publishing agency in 2005, which he ran until its sale in 2010. Since then he has worked as a media and business consultant, notably to an importer of delightful wine.
He spent his teenage years employed at the Whitehall Theatre, where he studied for school exams in the lighting box watching such formative productions as What, No Pyjamas? He is a pretty good cook and mediocre musician, has curated a significant art exhibition, climbed Snowdon, ridden motorcycles at ridiculous speeds, had poetry published in Magma Poetry magazine and spent three years living in a church in North Yorkshire, before being reclaimed by London. A lifelong Crystal Palace FC supporter, he is also a devotee of South Africa’s Western Cape. He lives in Southwest London.

Blow Your Kiss Hello is his first novel and a second is underway.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I gave this book 5 stars because I think it was very brave of the author to open up about this topic. I think this book will have the most impact on adult survivors of child sexual abuse. I have interviewed several adult survivors and am familiar with their sorrow, anguish and ongoing pain.

This story talks about his family history ( which I think would have benefitted with some editing), childhood and molestation and partially how it impacted his adult life.

The one big problem I have, which he sort of addressed on the last page was what happened to him that caused his total destruction and $100,000 in legal bills? He says he left it out on purpose so his bigger message would be heard. I think, no matter what it was, it was obviously related to the topic at hand, it is an integral part of the story and how he coped with it and worked to overcome it is not something that should be skipped over. If you are going to open your memories and confront your demons, then tell us all the major moments.

The book is loaded with prose. I imagine the author is a poet in his spare time, but myself, I prefer in a true story book, less flowery language and more of an actual retelling. But for sexual abuse survivors, they might really relate to that.

So bravo, Andrew for fighting your Demon. From switching your point of view from first to third person told me this is still painful for you. For me, the prose was a way of saying what happened without saying it. I hope you write a second book that outlines what happened that blew up your life and how you are overcoming it. I think you could help even more people.