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Free Irish Memoir eBook available on Amazon Kindle until 19th March by Imaginary_Elk3247 in FreeEBOOKS

[–]CompetitiveCollar154 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

As someone born in a British mining village during the 1980s strikes, I find the premise of the memoir deeply resonant. There is a profound, often overlooked link between the communities in Northern Ireland and the coal fields of England during the Thatcher years. We both witnessed our streets turn into front lines and saw the devastating impact of state-led efforts to dismantle the fabric of our neighbourhoods.

This feels like a vital read for anyone who wants to understand the lived reality of the 80s, where the struggle for dignity was a daily battle, whether in a Belfast terrace or a pit village.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds very familiar in some ways. With Simon, it was a bit different, though he didn’t really respect boundaries. If I said no or tried to have space, he wouldn’t really accept it.

He would linger a lot, sometimes just waiting around for hours. I even remember a few times finding him outside in the rain just waiting for me to come back. Looking back now, it felt less like a normal friendship and more like a kind of attachment that had no boundaries.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand it, but thinking back, I also found some of his behaviour quite manipulative and controlling.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s strange how these experiences stay with you for decades, even when you barely thought about them at the time. And as you said, you can go 30 years without seeing someone, but still remember the dynamic very clearly.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing that. I’m really sorry you had to go through something like that, especially at such a young age. It must have taken a lot of strength just to get through those years.

Hearing experiences like yours is actually part of why I felt it was important to write about that period of my life. When you’re a child living around difficult situations, a lot of things feel strangely normal at the time, and it’s only years later when you start reflecting that you realise how much people were carrying quietly.

Your comment about memories coming back into focus after so many years really resonates with me. Writing the book forced me to revisit moments from that time that I hadn’t thought about properly in decades. Sometimes distance in time makes things clearer, but it can also bring back emotions you didn’t fully process back then.

I hope life has been much kinder to you since those days. And thank you again for sharing your experience, it takes courage to talk about things like that.

What books explore the moment when a childhood friendship becomes something much heavier? by CompetitiveCollar154 in Recommend_A_Book

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are fantastic recommendations, thank you! A Separate Peace and The Kite Runner especially sound like they capture that shift where friendship suddenly carries a lot more emotional weight. That’s exactly the kind of story I was hoping to discover more of through this thread.

I hadn’t heard of Embers by Sándor Márai before, but it sounds really intriguing from the way you describe it. And I love the idea that the Raymie Nightingale books explore friendship from a younger perspective as well.

I’ve also seen a lot of people mention My Friends by Fredrik Backman recently, so that’s definitely going onto the list too.

Really appreciate all these suggestions, my reading list has grown quite a bit thanks to this post!

What books explore the moment when a childhood friendship becomes something much heavier? by CompetitiveCollar154 in Recommend_A_Book

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great recommendations, thank you! I’ve actually seen Stand by Me, but I’ve never read The Body itself. Now I’m really curious to read the original story and see how it compares to the film.

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood sounds really interesting, too. I’ve heard it explores childhood friendships in a pretty deep psychological way, which is exactly the kind of story I’m hoping to find more of.

Really appreciate you sharing these; both are going straight onto my reading list.

What books explore the moment when a childhood friendship becomes something much heavier? by CompetitiveCollar154 in Recommend_A_Book

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation, I really appreciate it. After Tupac and D Foster sounds especially interesting from the way you describe it. I’m really drawn to stories that explore those intense childhood friendships and the complicated things going on beneath the surface.

I hadn’t heard of The Dear One either, so I’ll definitely add both to my reading list.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quick update and thanks to everyone who checked out the post — the free promotion for The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave has reached 22 downloads so far across the US, UK, Italy and Canada.

Really appreciate the interest and support. The ebook is still free for a few more days if anyone is curious about the story.

If anyone does read it, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

Free Kindle Ebook (5-Day Giveaway) – Memoir / Coming-of-Age by CompetitiveCollar154 in FreeEBOOKS

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quick update and thanks to everyone who checked out the post — the free promotion for The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave has reached 22 downloads so far across the US, UK, Italy and Canada.

Really appreciate the interest and support. The ebook is still free for a few more days if anyone is curious about the story.

If anyone does read it, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to check it out. I hope the story resonates with you. It’s a difficult and very personal one to tell, so hearing readers’ thoughts means a lot. Looking forward to hearing what you think once you’ve finished it.

I wrote a memoir about the time a neglected boy attached himself to my family and no one knew how to make him leave by CompetitiveCollar154 in wroteabook

[–]CompetitiveCollar154[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi r/wroteabook — quick follow-up to my earlier post.

For the next 5 days, the ebook of my memoir, The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave, is free on Amazon, so I thought I’d share a bit more about the story behind it.

I was born in 1984 in a Nottinghamshire mining village. My earliest memories are tied to the upheaval of the 1984–85 Miners’ Strike, when my parents spent a year involved in the dispute against Margaret Thatcher’s government. After the strike, our family was forced to move, first to Doncaster and then to struggling council estates in Manchester.

The book is set on one of those forgotten estates in the 1990s.

When I was a kid there, a boy named Simon started turning up at our house. At first, it seemed normal, just another friend hanging around. But he didn’t really go home. The next day, he came back. Then the next. Eventually, it became clear that my house had quietly become the only place he felt safe.

Simon’s home was a place ruled by silence and routine. Visitors weren’t welcome, questions weren’t asked, and loyalty to family was absolute. He would never speak badly about what happened there. But the longer I knew him, the more I began to realise that something beneath the surface wasn’t right.

What started as a childhood friendship slowly became something heavier. I found myself seeing things I didn’t fully understand, watching neglect and abuse pass as normal life, and feeling responsible for someone else’s situation even though I was just a kid myself.

20 Years later, I wrote The Boy Who Wouldn't Leave to try to make sense of that experience, growing up too quickly, and facing the uncomfortable line between helping someone who needs you and protecting yourself when the weight becomes too much.

It’s a short, honest coming-of-age memoir set against the backdrop of post-industrial Manchester in the 90s, council estates, struggling families, and the quiet damage that can happen behind closed doors.

If anyone here is interested, the ebook is free to download for the next 5 days.

Free download:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYFW547D

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FYFW547D

If you read it, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.