SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2025
From Hanif Kureishi, author of The Buddha of Suburbia, a memoir about the accident that left him paralysed.
‘I’ve never felt tempted to use the word “inspirational” about a book, and promise I never will again, but it’s the only word I can think of to describe Shattered’ Lynn Barber, The Spectator
Imagine your life changing in a second: one minute you are watching the football with a beer, the next you are on the floor in a pool of blood, deprived of the use of your arms and legs. This fall renders you paralysed, robbed of your independence, entirely reliant on others for everything.
This happened to writer Hanif Kureishi on Boxing Day 2022. His account of what happened and its aftermath is a unique, riveting and frequently riotous account of a year-long odyssey home through five hospitals. From despair to hope, rage to courage, it might be the most truthful, and the funniest, medical disaster story ever written.
‘Incredible. A remarkable tale of resilience – and surprisingly funny’ iNews
‘Heartbreaking. [A] masterpiece of British stoicism. Intimate, brave and uplifting’ Independent
‘Wildly inspiring. His singular voice, his bawdy humour, his efforts to create meaning, all so characteristic and moving’ Guardian
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Shattered 9781405959759 Paperback
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Shattered
I bought this recently, after having watched a bit of a podcast (also broadcast on YouTube) with Hanif Kureishi, as the guest of Bella Freud. Admittedly this is the 1st of his books I have read, but I was aware and a fan of My beautiful Launderette and Buddha of Suburbia from TV. So I knew he h…
I bought this recently, after having watched a bit of a podcast (also broadcast on YouTube) with Hanif Kureishi, as the guest of Bella Freud. Admittedly this is the 1st of his books I have read, but I was aware and a fan of My beautiful Launderette and Buddha of Suburbia from TV. So I knew he had an accident which left him immobile and I do like to read about people who have significant traumas and how they deal with them (having experienced trauma myself) Firstly I have to say he is a good writer and I was pulled in from the start. There are no heroics are tearjerkers, just good old straightforward journals of how it was for him, the tedium but as well the bizarre and observations from a hospital bed and the people who cared for him as well as the people he met in similar situations - it is they who are his allies and pull him through. He does get pissed off frequently with the hospital treatments and enemas and injections, overall the boredom of it all. He is still immobile but perhaps more comfortable and is still writing (albeit by dictating into software with the help of his son and wife.) It is a great read, I took it to Bruges with me and despite the light in room I was staying being bleak, I read it each night with the torch and as well while waiting for breakfast etc. I really thought it was a great read and I will now read his other novels.
- Authors:
- Kureishi, Hanif
- Year Published:
- 2025
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Format:
- Paperback
- ISBN:
- 9781405959759
- Number of Pages:
- 336
- Publication Date:
- 05/06/2025
- Publisher:
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Language:
- English
- Place of Publication:
- London
- SKU:
- 9781405959759