Title : The Nipper
Author : Charlie Mitchell
ISBN-10: 0007292597
ISBN-13: 978-0007292592
The heartbreaking true story of a little boy and his violent childhood in working class Dundee
Okay, novel of the week is “The Nipper” by Charlie Mitchell. This novel has been written based on his real life story. Since from his early childhood, the author had been abused physically and mentally by his father. “Dad has pressed a burning teaspoon on my face and he’s holding in there long enough to get a result – he’s scored a goal and he grins because he can see that I’m in agony as I’ve started screaming out in pain…..And it has only begun”.
I couldn’t tell you how it is felt like when I read his terrifying experiences. “Dad and Mum broke up when I was ten months old..” Poor Charlie who screamed in agony asking his dad to stop, yet it triggered his dad to give him more and more. It can long last for hours and he would just stop when he reached his goal. No one could help him because it was just him and his father in that house. “They are sometimes twelve-hour interrogation sessions, with nipping, bitting, poking in the eyes, and pulling clumps of hair from my head.”
Charlie’s dad is expertise in manipulating others plus having different personality when he is sober; sometimes he could be funny and telling jokes. Charlie made the decision to stay with his father because his dad has toxicated his pure mind with such facts that his mum much worse if Charlie decided to live with her.
Even he is just a kid; Charlie knew how to deal with his personal life. “When I’m at school and free of my jailer I put up a front to protect myself..I clown it up”. No one ever knew that deep within his veil, he is just a lonely child and living hell everyday with violence; pain, agony and blood.
“He drags me from one side of the room to the other, stamping on my head and picking things up from the table to hit me with, stopping every ten minutes for another drink.” “The punches are coming from all angles; kicks and knees are then added, and a few toe punts in the balls nearly finish me off..” Over and over again, Charlie got beaten; abused by his own dad and it continued for years. I wonder how Charlie managed to survive when there is no love; just fear, anger and pain.
When he grew up, drugs and drink became Charlie’s choice, and the violence that followed was caused by his decision to take them, as they would trigger memories of his childhood. “I don’t want to be in the negative limbo land of drugtaking and violence; I don’t want to be running all my life from a father whose anger has infected my mind and whose sickness has eaten into my soul; I don’t want to see that blackness behind the eyes when I stare into the glass.” His terrible childhood experiences devastated Charlie’s life where his Dad still has a strangehold on his soul. Anywhere he went and even in every action and decision that he made, that strangehold would affect Charlie. “So much for my new start, my new dreams, my new hopes, my new life…”
“I don’t feel guilty for saying what I said the night I walked out of his house when I was sixteen, when I told him I didn’t care less if he lived or died. When I was less than four years old I was in a tug between my mum and my dad. I told the judge I wanted to be with my dad. It was a bad choice, but then again, four-years-old kids aren’t very good at multiple-choice tests. And besides, I paid the price for my bad choice for years and years to come. But hey, that’s life.But that’s all in the past. I’ve got my life back and if there is such thing as karma – and I believe there is – all debts have been paid. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Charlie together again. But Sophie did.”
Finally, Charlie settled down with Sophie who he still believe that she was sent to him from heaven. He really glad and grateful that Sophie has came into his life and turned everything around. “One thing I know for certain: I will never treat my children the way treated me.”
When I think about him now I think he did love me, but that he was twisted, so any love he showed me quickly turned to hate, probably because he hated himself.
"Life is too short to be holding grudges or thinking about the past, and anyone from any walk of life can turn things around if they want it badly enough." Mitchell, C.
Credit to my sister Jess for this book review :)
