‘A searingly beautiful novel’
Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
‘Outstanding, and has lingered in my head for a very long time’
Prima
How do you survive the unsurvivable?
Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it’s the ordinary family life she always thought she’d have. All of that changes in an instant – when Tom runs the family car off the road, seeking to end his own life, and take his wife and children with him. Rachel is left to pore over the wreckage to try and understand what happened – to find a way to go on living afterwards.
What emerges is a snapshot of what it’s like to live alongside someone who is suffering, how you keep yourself afloat when the person you love is drowning, and how you survive irreparable loss.
Impossible to turn away from, Show Me Where It Hurts is a compelling, heartbreaking and ultimately life-affirming story of recovery and unexpected hope.
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Reviews
With gentle and lulling prose, Show Me Where It Hurts is exceptional in its exploration of the grief and recovery from something unthinkable. This is simply an exquisite novel.
Exceptional. Also brave. One of those novels that, afterwards, makes me think not just about the story itself, but also about why we read, and the role of fiction.
This thoughtful and imaginative debut glows with emotional insight and heft. It tackles a difficult and rarely discussed subject in an engaging, clear-slighted and highly readable way
This story of a woman's survival after the worst has happened, makes for a searingly beautiful novel. Stunningly crafted, with complex and shocking themes that are never shied away from, I found myself profoundly moved while frequently thinking about the characters when not reading it. This is a novel that lingers.
Wow what a debut! This book is outstanding and has lingered in my head for a very long time. Rachel and Tom are married and have two children when the unthinkable happens. The story is a deep dive into how trauma and suffering affect us. Although a hard read at times this is an entrancing searing read and actually one of hope. I definitely expect it to be on awards shortlists! I cannot stop recommending it
An unforgettable tale about love, loss and mental illness. 5 stars
I was gripped by this emotionally intelligent, thought-provoking exploration of the worst thing possible and what led to it. There are no easy answers, however, and the deeper into it we get, the more complicated it becomes. Devastating and important.
Claire Gleeson's quietly compelling debut novel, Show Me Where It Hurts, opens with a horrifying scene . . . while the dramatic opening grabs the reader's attention, Gleeson approaches the subject matter with the necessary sensitivity and restraint . . . it is about so much more than the horrifying tragedy at its heart. Gleeson is telling a multifaceted story about our society here. She is looking at everything from male shame and stigma around depression to the pressure to succeed in modern Ireland and the slippery, changeable nature of mental illness, along with the incomprehensible strength and painstaking determination it takes to rebuild a life after a devastating loss.
A searing examination of grief, regret and coming to terms with unimaginable loss . . . a harrowing yet beautiful read, offering a profound meditation on the toll of grief, the passing of time, and the possibility - against all odds - of finding hope in the face of tragedy