Category: Book Group

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

September’s book choice for our group was ‘Euphoric Recall’ by Aidan Martin. 

Covering themes including sexual abuse, substance use, childhood cancer, suicide, violence and mental health, it’s a memoir that doesn’t pull any punches. Gritty, raw and honest, Martin’s book tells his story of growing up in Livingston, West Lothian, where he experienced significant levels of trauma. ‘Euphoric Recall’ discusses these traumas and instils hope, covering Martin’s recovery from his addictions. 

Our group gave this book a rating of 8.6 out of 10 (including one reader who gave it 15 out of 10, they enjoyed it so much!) 

The group described the book as an easy-hard read in the sense that while the language is very accessible, the subject matter is difficult. Much of the content felt familiar to our readers, with one describing it as ‘close to the heart’ and time was spent considering the impact on family members, particularly Aidan’s mum. 

Most of the group felt the book is informative and educational about substance use. Still, there was a general feeling that more could have been shared about recovery, which our readers felt had been glossed over and lacked the depth of other parts of the book. The anonymity of Fellowship meetings was acknowledged, and the group wondered if this impacted the level of sharing. Readers also wondered about consent from other characters who appear in the story and the impact on their lives, to be included in such a ‘grubby’ memoir. 

One reader said that while they had initially enjoyed the book, finding it ‘dead interesting,’ educative and a fast read, they found later chapters too traumatic and bit too close to home, experiencing a ‘dread’ of reading it again. Another reader would like to know how Aidan Martin feels now, about his habits and his thoughts shared in the book and someone else wondered how the rest of the family feels now. Time was spent talking about the apologies shared in the book, with some readers wondering who the apologies were for – Aidan himself, or the people they were offered to. 

Some of the group felt they would like to read future books by Aidan Martin, interested in seeing how his writing style develops, while others felt they would not pick up anything again from him, that covers substance use, because of it being too relatable to situations they are living through. People generally felt they would pass on the book to others with lived/living experiences, as everyone acknowledged its powerful message of hope and felt that although this is not everyone’s experience, it is inspiring. 

Some comments from our readers: 

‘Euphoric Recall was an excellent read!!!!! Brought back so many memories and rate 15/10…..it was emotional but shows that you get lift yourself out of the gutter, walk forward and also help others.’ 

‘Explained things very well… not what I call a nice book, straight to the gut.’ 

‘A very familiar downward spiral… caring/not caring. Hard but I valued the lived experienced voice over a worker’s.’ 

‘I didn’t really connect with him – I kept comparing it to The Young Team, which I loved.’ 

‘I could relate to lots… I was surprised how much he remembered. Gives you back a feeling of hope.’ 

To find out more about our Book Group, follow our Twitter or Facebook feed, or you can email Lena lena@sfad.org.uk for some more information!

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

June’s book choice for our group was ‘Group’ by Christie Tate. 

‘Group’ is a searingly honest memoir of the author’s experiences of being part of a psychotherapy group in America and led to one of the most fruitful discussions we have had as a group. 

Successful in her studies, having just achieved top student status in her law class, and with her eating disorder under control, Tate seems to the outside world to be doing well. However, internally, she is struggling and reaches out to the group for support, with her relationships. As she shows more of her vulnerabilities to the group, change starts to happen for her. 

Our group gave ‘Group’ a rating of 6.05 out of 10. Some readers found it an easy, lighter read with humour in it while others felt it lacked depth and was a bit cryptic in places. 

We talked about what our readers saw as the positives and the negatives of this book: the positives included the support she got from the group; her commitment to the therapy that was, at times, incredibly challenging for her and the very real descriptions of loneliness and isolation, with one reader in particular sharing that this was something they could identify with. 

The negatives discussed included the role and style of the therapist, with several people saying they expected more from a professional and felt his practice was unethical in places.  Many felt his methods were questionable, almost verging on cult-like status, while one member of the group felt that for therapy to make a difference, it needs to be ‘provocative.’

 This led to a discussion of differing attitudes towards therapy in America and the UK. The group considered the author’s role in the group, questioning whether she was able to give support to others, as well as receive it.  

The ending of the book gave way to a great discussion too, with Tate’s ongoing participation in the group seen as a lifeline by some, who likened it to people in recovery attending fellowship meetings regularly and suggested the attachments she had made in the group allowed her to grow and open up more. Others, however, saw her continuing participation as evidence of her ‘stuckness’ with some questioning whether she needed the therapy to make the changes she did, or would these have happened organically, anyway?  

Some comments from our readers: 

‘It was quick to read, I wanted to keep reading it, but I found it a bit weird.’

‘…honest, brutal, good read, if you’ve already got an understanding of group therapy.’

‘Brilliant… language was hard sometimes – mirroring sometimes the brutality of the sessions.’

‘I enjoyed it… but didn’t get much sense of the group dynamic… odd, given how close she got to the members.’

To find out more about our Book Group, follow our Twitter or Facebook feed, or you can email Lena lena@sfad.org.uk for some more information!

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

May’s book choice for our group was ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig. 

‘The Midnight Library’ centres around the main character Nora, who – disenchanted with her life – decides to die, struggling to see any reason to keep on living. 

But in-between life and death, she finds herself in a library, full of books holding information about what her life might have looked like, had she made different choices along the way. Here, she is given the opportunity to explore these alternative lives as well as undo any of her regrets.  

Our group gave ‘The Midnight Library’ a rating of 6.7 out of ten. Some readers found it a struggle to get through, with a few of the group still to finish reading it and some unsure of whether they would read it all. Conversely, one reader gave it a full marks rating of 10/10, describing it as ‘outstanding’ and being impressed by how well a male author wrote from a female perspective. 

We discussed why Nora might have been feeling suicidal, with some readers feeling there was not enough background information about this and others believing she was clinically depressed.  

Much of our conversation concentrated on what it would be like to be offered to look at our own alternative lives – some readers felt curious and would want to explore this while others felt they wouldn’t want to visit these ‘other’ existences.  

We also spoke about the adage ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ and recognised that this is not always the case, something we all agreed ‘The Midnight Library’ portrays well. Members of the group likened the book to the film, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken.’   

Our conversation closed with us discussing what makes life fulfilling – connection, love, us and loved ones being happy, dogs, cats and learning how to play chess. 

Some comments from our readers: 

‘I quite enjoyed it; it was better than I thought it would be.’

‘I struggled to read it.’

‘I read it at the wrong time, with everything else going on just now’

‘I quite enjoyed it and enjoyed going back to it each time’

‘…one of the most exciting books that came up (on the reading list) I’m really looking forward to reading it.’

‘One of the most annoying aspects of it was being beamed into different lives and not knowing the backgrounds.’

‘There’s kindness sprinkled throughout the book – the effects we can have on others.’

To find out more about our Book Group, follow our Twitter or Facebook feed, or you can email Lena lena@sfad.org.uk for some more information!

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

April’s book choice for our group was ‘Girl A’ by Abigail Dean.

‘Girl A’ tells the story of the Gracie children, seven siblings who endure much at the hands of their parents, in the ‘house of horrors’ they grow up in. Narrated by Lexie, otherwise known as ‘Girl A’ and the eldest sister in the family, the book starts in the present day, with the siblings all grown up. As the story progresses, the timeline jumps around historical events which gradually reveal what happened to the children and how they have moved on, or not, from their childhood trauma.

Some of our readers found the changing timeline and number of characters confusing while others liked this aspect of the book. Everyone felt the topic was realistically portrayed and, while not based on a true story, could identify real-life criminal cases that related to it.

This book earned a rating of 6.9 out of 10 from our group. Some members found the subject matter off-putting, with many saying it wasn’t the kind of book they would normally go for. Others found it an easy read but fairly forgettable once finished. Comments were made about the fantastic reviews the novel received and the superlative recommendations it carries from other liked authors – these drew readers in but ultimately felt like a bit of a letdown, with some readers anticipating more and being left wanting.

We discussed whether Lexie is a reliable narrator and discussed how differently the book might have come across if written from another viewpoint or in the third person. We looked at the relationships between the characters and acknowledged that the author isn’t graphic in her descriptions of what took place in the home. This leaves it open to each reader’s imagination and within the group, we had differing views on what we thought may or may not have taken place.

The ending itself is ambiguous and this divided opinion – some readers preferred the later chapters to the rest of the story while others disliked the vagueness. Overall, readers felt Lexie found peace, however you interpreted the closing chapter.

Some comments from our readers:

‘It was good to read but didn’t stay with me.’

‘The comments on the cover left me anticipating more.’

‘I found the present, late past and early past confusing…. but it had good characters and was fantastic.’

‘I’ve forgotten lots of it but enjoyed it.’

‘I felt very ambivalent about reading it in the first place.’

‘I kept reading it to get a resolution – it felt very realistic – voyeuristic.’

To find out more about our Book Group, follow our Twitter or Facebook feed, or you can email Lena lena@sfad.org.uk for some more information!

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

March’s book choice for our group was ‘The Herd’ by Emily Edwards. 

Elizabeth and Bryony, the main characters in this story, have been friends for a long time. They are quite different in their approaches to life but are the best of friends, spending lots of time together and are godmothers to each other’s daughters.  

However, they hold vastly different beliefs about vaccination and Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what she thinks is a harmless lie before Elizabeth’s daughter’s birthday party. The consequences of this decision are huge and really what the book is all about – the choice to vaccinate or not vaccinate your child. 

Despite many differences in our discussion about this book, it proved to be another popular read, gaining a rating of 7.2 out of 10. Everyone found the topic of vaccinations interesting and although this story focuses on MMR, we discussed how the context of Covid had shaped our experience of the book.  

The book was universally seen as an easy read and many readers finished it quite quickly. The chapters jump around in time, not in chronological order and some readers found this confusing and a bit harder to get into at first. The chapters written at the time of the court case (a consequence of the ‘white lie’ told) are all written from different perspectives of fleeting characters who only appear in their own segments. This really split opinion in the group, with some readers loving the broader perspectives this added to the debate and others not liking these chapters at all.  

The ending also divided opinion a bit, with some readers feeling it was an anti-climax, leaving them wanting more and others satisfied with the way the story concluded. Nobody guessed the twist in the story towards the end!

Some comments from our readers: 

‘I liked it but I couldn’t imagine the characters – I’d no image in mind.  The issue was dealt with well but I’d have liked more about the characters.’

‘I couldn’t put it down…my fastest read in a while.’

‘Interesting read but difficult to get into at first.’

‘Showed the impact of generational family influences on decisions.’

‘The characters and context were a bit yummy mummy and vanilla for me. But I enjoyed learning more about the debate around vaccinations.’

To find out more about our Book Group, follow our Twitter or Facebook feed, or you can email Lena lena@sfad.org.uk for some more information!

By Lena McMillan, Family Support Development Officer

February’s book choice for our group was ‘The Young Team’ by Graeme Armstrong. Spanning the years 2004 – 2012, during which time Glasgow was named the ‘murder capital of Europe,’ this is a story about a boy who joins a gang. Entry to the gang gives him an identity, a taste for violence, a brotherhood, and days and nights caught up in alcohol and drugs – something that starts out as fun but descends into addiction and the push-pull of wanting to stop but feeling compelled to keep on going.

This is also a story of so much more – it shows the person behind the persona and encourages us to understand their sensitivity, their motivations, their humanity. It descriptively immerses us into a world many of us would otherwise never experience and it invites us to challenge our assumptions. It has moments that will make you laugh out loud and moments that will break your heart. Ultimately, it is a story of hope.

Set in North Lanarkshire, it is written in the local dialect, which adds to its authenticity. There is swearing in the book – lots of swearing – again adding to its down-to-earth genuineness. For three of our group, this put them off reading the book altogether and they chose not to rate it for this reason. For the rest of the group though, this book was a huge hit, scoring an impressive 9.3/10. Some of our readers said it had taken them a while to get their heads around the language used and found the scenes of fighting and violence difficult. Many of our group found it relatable to their own vicarious experience of substance use, as they’ve witnessed their loved one’s struggle with this. There was a general feeling that Armstrong covers this topic honestly, with one of our readers saying they found the book ‘eye-opening and powerful in helping me understand the addiction.’

One reader shared their sadness at the book ending, another said they had deliberately slowed down their reading pace because they didn’t want it to end, and others spoke about recommending it to family and friends.

Our discussion was jam-packed with positive comments and praise for a truly remarkable first novel:

‘…loved it…’

‘…totally unexpected…’

‘…fabulous…’

‘…amazing descriptions…’

If you are worried about someone else’s alcohol or drug use, we are here to listen and to help. You can contact our team on 08080 10 10 11, helpline@sfad.org.uk or use the webchat on our website.

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