Beyond the Throne

This book gives a very honest look into the life of Kristian Nairn; a boy growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, intermixed with the man he becomes in the 2010s: an actor playing a very beloved character in one of the best TV shows ever made (if we ignore the last 2 or 3 seasons).

That alone would be plenty interesting to read. But being a very tall and big boy makes him stand out a lot. He's not like the other boys at all. He's painfully shy, sensitive and insecure. In his teens he also realises he's gay.

With that premise we read about two different periods in his life. One starting when he gets the role of Hodor in Game of Thrones, the other about his childhood up until a few years before getting the role.

This book is very well written. You can pretty much feel Kristians crippling loneliness as a small boy. The massive insecurity and the way he gets into drugs in his (late?) twenties.

In the second story line you read about the fun (and not so fun) parts of being on a set with a lot of famous actors. The crippling self doubt and imposter syndrome Kristian has. But also how he grows as a person to become more self assured. To me, this story felt hopeful.

The last chapter mentions OFMD, which to us crew is a really nice bonus, but ultimately for me not the main reason I decided to buy this book.

As memoirs go, this one's very good! ❤️