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Show Me Where It Hurts

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Show Me Where It Hurts

By: Claire Gleeson
Narrated by: Heather O'Sullivan
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About this listen

 'A searingly beautiful novel'
Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

'Outstanding, and has lingered in my head for a very long time'
Prima

How do you survive the unsurvivable?

Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it's the ordinary family life she always thought she'd have. All of that changes in an instant - when Tom runs the family car off the road, seeking to end his own life, and take his wife and children with him. Rachel is left to pore over the wreckage to try and understand what happened - to find a way to go on living afterwards.

What emerges is a snapshot of what it's like to live alongside someone who is suffering, how you keep yourself afloat when the person you love is drowning, and how you survive irreparable loss.

Impossible to turn away from, Show Me Where It Hurts is a compelling, heartbreaking and ultimately life-affirming story of recovery and unexpected hope.©2025 Claire Gleeson (P)2025 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Marriage

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Critic reviews

With gentle and lulling prose, Show Me Where It Hurts is exceptional in its exploration of the grief and recovery from something unthinkable. This is simply an exquisite novel. (Anne Griffin, author of When All Is Said)
Exceptional. Also brave. One of those novels that, afterwards, makes me think not just about the story itself, but also about why we read, and the role of fiction. (Florence Knapp, author of The Names)
This thoughtful and imaginative debut glows with emotional insight and heft. It tackles a difficult and rarely discussed subject in an engaging, clear-slighted and highly readable way (Henrietta McKervey, author of A Talented Man)
All stars
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A simple and very raw telling of a highly emotional story. Fantastically written and laid out. I would love to know what happened next for Rachel!

The sadness of the story is taken away by how beautifully it's told

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The storyline is a pathway through the unthinkable but also gives clear guidance,lif it walsl heeded, to recognise red flags, giving good advice ignored. Ms gleeson has done an aldmirralble job.

Overall a welcome, knowing and timely look at this dreadful and ever more familiar phenomenon.

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such well crafted sentences, it was a pleasure to listen to and narrated so well too.

utterly absorbing

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Full review to follow when I have gathered my shattered thoughts. Show Me Where It Hurts is stunning.

Beautifully written and narrated.

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it felt too long for me. I was expecting a twist but perhaps that's the point - horrific things can happen to a normal couple...

Too flowery writing for me

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This book ran deep, my ex-husband had mental health problems and I imagined myself in Rachel's shoes so many times, especially when she reflected on the unfairness of it all and it's affect on her marriage and their children. In my case thankfully it didn't end so tragically, The author explains the complicated impact of mental illness without prejudice. Brilliantly written, what an emotional read.

The compassion of Rachel.

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I liked the idea of the story and the main character. In parts it was really good.

Mother’s Love

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