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!