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Saving Dave: Life Can Change In The Blink Of An Eye
“I have what is called locked-in syndrome.
Yes ... Read that again ... Locked. In. Syndrome.
The trouble is that I’m the only person to have figured this out.”
Meet Dave. Dave is an eighteen-year-old blind, quadriplegic victim of medical negligence. He is highly intelligent, has an almost photographic memory, and is capable of absorbing knowledge at a phenomenal rate. Dave’s world revolves around the antics of his dysfunctional, avaricious, unloving family and everything he learns from BBC Radio 4 which provides a link to an outside world he knows he will never belong to. Life is bleak for Dave.
Until he meets the one person who may be able to save him.
“Just when I’d thought things had got as bad as they could get, they got even worse. There’s a singer called Morrissey who writes songs about stuff like this, and even he would struggle to make this sound as miserable as it is.”
Yes ... Read that again ... Locked. In. Syndrome.
The trouble is that I’m the only person to have figured this out.”
Meet Dave. Dave is an eighteen-year-old blind, quadriplegic victim of medical negligence. He is highly intelligent, has an almost photographic memory, and is capable of absorbing knowledge at a phenomenal rate. Dave’s world revolves around the antics of his dysfunctional, avaricious, unloving family and everything he learns from BBC Radio 4 which provides a link to an outside world he knows he will never belong to. Life is bleak for Dave.
Until he meets the one person who may be able to save him.
“Just when I’d thought things had got as bad as they could get, they got even worse. There’s a singer called Morrissey who writes songs about stuff like this, and even he would struggle to make this sound as miserable as it is.”
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 14, 2021
"Saving Dave by Richard Grainger
"Life can change in the blink of an eye".
"I had this weird conviction that here was an unremarkable baby - size apart - who would stumble through an unremarkable childhood and an unremarkable youth into an unremarkable adulthood, and, at best, his life would be a litany of complication and disappointment. And so I passed him back to the midwife and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep".
Eighteeen year old Dave is in both a unique and horrifying predicament: he has locked in syndrome, and he's the only person whose figured it out. Hip dysplasia as a baby brought on a series of life altering complications, leaving him in the state he's currently in now. Despite his disabilities Dave has a remarkable memory, fantastic hearing, and is incredibly intelligent. He isn't brain dead at all as the doctors thought he might be. He spends his time formulating a plan to kill his family (which clearly in his state can never happen) and listening to BBC Radio 4. When his mom hires Molly, an occupational therapist, whose researching communication in brain dead pediatric patients, Dave begins to realize that Molly is his key to being saved and with the help of his dog Scooter, Dave is able to help her understand his message.
I can't say this was the easiest read to get into. The writing style was a bit different from what I'm used to (and honestly I didn't care for the writing style at all) and each chapter alternates between Dave, both his parents, and Occupational Therapist Molly, following different timelines of Dave's life. Dave is made fun of quite often in this book. I found a lot of the things said and done to him to be incredibly abusive. If the author meant to give insight into how a disabled person such as Dave might live in an absuive/hateful setting she did a great job at making me feel uncomfortable and sad for Dave's treatment. I disliked all of the characters except for Molly and Dave. Her kindness is the only bit of love or reassurance that Dave had ever experienced. I found the ending appropriate and it was the only section of the book I truly enjoyed. Unfortunately this is gonna be a 2.5/3 🌟 for me.
#SavingDave
#NetGalley
"Life can change in the blink of an eye".
"I had this weird conviction that here was an unremarkable baby - size apart - who would stumble through an unremarkable childhood and an unremarkable youth into an unremarkable adulthood, and, at best, his life would be a litany of complication and disappointment. And so I passed him back to the midwife and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep".
Eighteeen year old Dave is in both a unique and horrifying predicament: he has locked in syndrome, and he's the only person whose figured it out. Hip dysplasia as a baby brought on a series of life altering complications, leaving him in the state he's currently in now. Despite his disabilities Dave has a remarkable memory, fantastic hearing, and is incredibly intelligent. He isn't brain dead at all as the doctors thought he might be. He spends his time formulating a plan to kill his family (which clearly in his state can never happen) and listening to BBC Radio 4. When his mom hires Molly, an occupational therapist, whose researching communication in brain dead pediatric patients, Dave begins to realize that Molly is his key to being saved and with the help of his dog Scooter, Dave is able to help her understand his message.
I can't say this was the easiest read to get into. The writing style was a bit different from what I'm used to (and honestly I didn't care for the writing style at all) and each chapter alternates between Dave, both his parents, and Occupational Therapist Molly, following different timelines of Dave's life. Dave is made fun of quite often in this book. I found a lot of the things said and done to him to be incredibly abusive. If the author meant to give insight into how a disabled person such as Dave might live in an absuive/hateful setting she did a great job at making me feel uncomfortable and sad for Dave's treatment. I disliked all of the characters except for Molly and Dave. Her kindness is the only bit of love or reassurance that Dave had ever experienced. I found the ending appropriate and it was the only section of the book I truly enjoyed. Unfortunately this is gonna be a 2.5/3 🌟 for me.
#SavingDave
#NetGalley
May 6, 2021
The premise was interesting and unique. The author was excellent at describing Dave's medical condition, his dysfunctional family, the medical treatments he undergoes, and his relationships with his parents and siblings. Narrated in multiple POVs, the story was a page-turner, entertaining, and informative especially from Dave's perspective.
The story follows Dave, an eighteen-year-old blind, quadriplegic due to medical negligence. Unbeknownst to his family and primary carers, Dave possesses high intelligence thanks to Molly Johnson, an Occupational Therapist, who works on a thesis regarding communication in brain-damaged patients.
I loved that the main character had his happy ending and he truly deserved it after all the torments he'd been through. No one deserves to be neglected and psychologically abused by his parents regardless of his cognitive and/or physical state.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review the ARC of this one-of-a-kind story. I'm happy that I've come across this book and would definitely check out the future works of the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The story follows Dave, an eighteen-year-old blind, quadriplegic due to medical negligence. Unbeknownst to his family and primary carers, Dave possesses high intelligence thanks to Molly Johnson, an Occupational Therapist, who works on a thesis regarding communication in brain-damaged patients.
I loved that the main character had his happy ending and he truly deserved it after all the torments he'd been through. No one deserves to be neglected and psychologically abused by his parents regardless of his cognitive and/or physical state.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review the ARC of this one-of-a-kind story. I'm happy that I've come across this book and would definitely check out the future works of the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 5, 2021
“Saving Dave”
by Richard Grainger
I was fortunate enough to read Richard Grainger’s new book that just came out. The author has really surpassed himself with his latest book. Right from the beginning captivates the reader who does not want to close the book until he reaches the final page and to be honest, he probably wants to read more. As a maniac reader,
I was hooked from the beginning with the literary techniques employed and how the author reveals the protagonist's thoughts and feelings through a “Ghost Writer”. He reveals another perspective of what people like Dave feel, think, and deal with. I would not want to spoil the fun and reveal more. I strongly recommend the book. It is so strong and real that it would be a pity not to read it.
by Richard Grainger
I was fortunate enough to read Richard Grainger’s new book that just came out. The author has really surpassed himself with his latest book. Right from the beginning captivates the reader who does not want to close the book until he reaches the final page and to be honest, he probably wants to read more. As a maniac reader,
I was hooked from the beginning with the literary techniques employed and how the author reveals the protagonist's thoughts and feelings through a “Ghost Writer”. He reveals another perspective of what people like Dave feel, think, and deal with. I would not want to spoil the fun and reveal more. I strongly recommend the book. It is so strong and real that it would be a pity not to read it.
June 4, 2021
I was really impressed by this book which was so much different to Richard's 'Losing the Plot'. It is such a unique idea for a story and it was very well written.
The characters develop well throughout the book. I found myself really emotionally invested in Dave and his struggles. The story gave another outlook on how society perceives someone with a disability. Actions and behaviours we have around people with disabilities often seem small and harmless, however this book teaches that everybody should be treated the same regardless of ability.
I certainly will recommend this. A thoroughly enjoyable read
The characters develop well throughout the book. I found myself really emotionally invested in Dave and his struggles. The story gave another outlook on how society perceives someone with a disability. Actions and behaviours we have around people with disabilities often seem small and harmless, however this book teaches that everybody should be treated the same regardless of ability.
I certainly will recommend this. A thoroughly enjoyable read
August 9, 2021
Saving Dave is by turns a heart-wrenching and funny story of what it might be like (because nobody really knows) to be a profoundly disabled person, with locked-in syndrome, and with a horrendously uncaring family. The main themes thrusting from the narrative are frustration, powerlessness and revenge, and you can't help but feel those emotions along with the main characters. But it is still heart-warming to see Dave making progress thanks to the persistence of a research student who comes into his home and life.
August 9, 2021
Saving Dave is by turns a heart-wrenching and funny story of what it might be like (because nobody really knows) to be a profoundly disabled person, with locked-in syndrome, and with a horrendously uncaring family. The main themes thrusting from the narrative are frustration, powerlessness and revenge, and you can't help but feel those emotions along with the main characters. But it is still heart-warming to see Dave making progress thanks to the persistence of a research student who comes into his home and life.
May 17, 2021
A really good read. Difficult to review without giving away the plot and the twists and turns.
Written in short chapters that kept me wanting to keep reading. Moments of dark humour interspersed with pathos. At no moment did this seem like fiction, the parents are believable , Dave and his carers are written with care, concern and understanding.
I really enjoyed this book from page 1 and didn't really want it to end.
Saving Dave 2 please
Written in short chapters that kept me wanting to keep reading. Moments of dark humour interspersed with pathos. At no moment did this seem like fiction, the parents are believable , Dave and his carers are written with care, concern and understanding.
I really enjoyed this book from page 1 and didn't really want it to end.
Saving Dave 2 please
October 24, 2021
A great novel with a brilliant insight into the mind of a disabled person. I enjoyed reading every page and couldn't wait to see what would happen to Dave and his "exceptional" family. A serious and difficult topic shown in a straightforward way and Dave's amusing comments and his perception of the world surrounding him - remarkable.
I will definitely recommend this book to everybody.
I will definitely recommend this book to everybody.
December 2, 2021
Very well-written, captivating and moving story, full of humour. Great read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews