History of a Drowning Boy

This is definitely a challenging review to write as although I was completely drawn into Nilsen's autobiography and found it fascinating I don't want to give Nilsen anymore airtime into his appalling crimes.

Having watched ‘Des' on ITV and read History of a Drowning Boy I completely understand Nilsen's desire to put his own words on the page and for them to be listened to and unaltered. From reading this autobiography I gauge that Nilsen felt his words were twisted somewhat in other publications and that the writers' own opinions were filtered into the pages creating a biased that Nilsen felt unjust. It is fair to say that Nilsen is a remarkable writer and his words flowed from the page seamlessly. Although some of the content was hard to read due to the gruesome and disturbing nature it was interesting to hear the thoughts of Nilsen when describing his own childhood and crimes.

I completely get that Nilsen felt the police and prison system was corrupt and that he suffered unjustly at the hands of those incharge but I must admit that my own sympathy had elapsed at this time and I found it hard to read impartially. I appreciate that Nilsen was trying to communicate the ‘truth' about what happened but also felt that it was the truth through his eyes and not necessarily unbiased either. Nilsen comes across as an intelligent man who suffered a great deal during his childhood through sexual abuse and neglect, never forming good positive relationships with his family. He was a loner throughout his whole life and I can appreciate how this negatively impacted his life.

What this book does do is give you an insight into the mind of a serial killer. It paints a picture that Nilsen wants to portray to the world away from anyone else's biases and opinion. I can clearly understand how the media would have angered him with their headlines and negative press and how this may have triggered his need for the ‘truth' to be known. Obviously, like me, the reader will impart their own judgement when reading, stemming from their own life experiences. History Of A Drowning Boy is an interesting, psychological account of Nilsen's life that is thought-provoking and an addictive read.