Ghost Boy
My Miraculous Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body
Ratings5
Average rating4
15
My Miraculous Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body
Ratings5
Average rating4
In January 1988, aged twelve, Martin Pistorius fell inexplicably sick. He lost his voice, stopped eating and slept constantly. Within eighteen months he was mute and wheelchair-bound. Martin’s parents were told that he had an unknown degenerative disease and probably had less than two years to live. Then, in 1998, when Martin was twenty-three years old, an aromatherapy masseuse began treating him and sensed some part of him was alert. Since then, and against all odds, he has fallen in love, married and set up a design business which he runs from his home in Essex. Ghost Boy is an incredible, deeply moving story of recovery and the power of love.
Reviews with the most likes.
Listened to the Audiobook. I have to say that after listening to Martin's story, I felt very sheepish indeed to be moaning about my life. What do I know about real suffering? Martin spent nearly all of his life, what was supposed to be the best years of his life, trapped in an unresponsive body. He was a “ghost” who was aware but unable to communicate with those around him. However, thanks to an attentive and caring caregiver, he was finally given a new lease on life. The years of being an unwilling silent witness had a toll on his confidence - seeing how he climbed out of the attitude of allowing people to run his life to becoming a full-fledged adult was inspiring. The final half of his book was about his romance with a woman. I found that half a little slow going (maybe I'm just unromantic lol), but engaging in a romantic relationship was Martin's ultimate leap to independence. A great read!
An interesting view into the life and experiences of a man who lost the ability to speak or move through an unknown sickness. Sitting in facilities for years with no one knowing that he was there, locked away in his body, unable to communicate or to do anything besides think.
The author focused a lot on hope, faith, and love. I liked the observations that he made about goals and about life, that communication is what makes us human, and that love has multiple forms–romantic, sexual, innocent, and platonic.
I do wish he would have covered more of his time as he lay in beds only able to sit, listen, and think. It would have been interesting to hear how his mind coped for those long 9 years. He does cover it a little with him just counting time, but I assume he did more than that.
A well-written memoir.
