Anyone else feeling slightly disturbed?

[Goodgame]

I finished this book yesterday and still have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I work in a social work environment with children that have been taken in to care so you can probably imagine that I have heard some horrendous things during my career and, until now, thought I pretty much was numb to it. I found the situation with Ewan heart breaking and Klare forcing the fathers to rape their sons a very disturbing (but believable) detail. And, yes, I also shed a tear for poor Smurf. The fact is, in my work I am forced to not care too deeply for the victims of these kinds of traumas (or I'd never make it to work each day) but this book made me care so deeply for the characters that it is as if they are real and I am so far unable to let them go from my mind - and this is a credit to Mo Hayder. Mo Hayder, as well as being a fantastic suspense writer, has a genuine skill at truly 'seeing' people with all their baseness & flaws and captures this so effectively in her characters. I can only imagine that Mo herself is incredibly self-aware and honest in accepting her own flaws that she is able to invent such believable, rounded human beings. Jack redefines anti-hero - he is dangerous, self-sabotaging and, if you could forgive him for the murder of Bliss in The Birdman, I am sure you will find it near on impossible to forgive him for raping Rebecca. But he is human.
Brilliant book, once I stop feeling queasy I will inflict it on my husband.
PS, I know it was ambiguous as to whether Hal was forced to rape Josh - I'm going to pretend he didn't to cheer myself up a bit. Whilst I'm at it, I'm going to imagine that an unmentioned third party saved Ewan and Smurf....

[Josephine]

Hi and welcome,
Yes, the Treatment is a totally disturbing book.I'm disturbed years after reading it! I know it affected me so deeply. I normally read softer crime but Mo's skill as a writer is what makes me love her books. I think part of her genius is she is totally without fear when it comes to writing. She will enter alleyways that many wouldn't want to linger in. It is a very confronting, honest way of telling a story. Tokyo was the book that really bought my heart to breaking point. It's not an easy book to read but a brilliant book. And I totally admire the type of work that you do! I have no idea of how people can work with children in abused/terminally ill and such like settings. I would chat more but have to go and read to my lovely daughter now! xx

[sabryl]

Hi

I am new to this forum and new to Mo Hayders books. I was listening to a radio interview with her some time ago regarding Skin. It sounded really interesting. I first read Pig Island and then started on The Treatment. It has taken me some time to read it but only because when I was about half way through the book I found that fifty or so pages had not been printed!!  I tried desperately to find another copy locally as I was so keen to finish the book. I could not find a copy anywhere even the local library copies were out and reserved for sometime. I finally contacted the publisher and was amazed when they offered to replace the book with a new copy.

So imagine my absolute despair when I finally got to the end.........  I was so desperate for Jack to find Ewan I was so disturbed by the loss of beautiful Smurf not to mention the subject matter but what a brilliant book!!  I somehow have a feeling I will also be haunted for sometime... 

Thank you Mo

[Kevin]

Hi sabryl and welcome to Mo's forum. I hope you have fun on here.

I don't find Mo's work disturbing at all, but can understand why some might be a little squeamish at times, though. It's good to be different, otherwise it would be a dull world, don't you think?