Shtum by Jem Lester will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 9 May.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK.
We have an exclusive extract available for you to read as well as some discussion questions for your reading group.
Shtum
Ben Jewell has hit breaking point.
His ten-year-old son, Jonah, has never spoken. So when Ben and Jonah are forced to move in with Ben’s elderly father, three generations of men – one who can’t talk; two who won’t – are thrown together.
As Ben battles single fatherhood, a string of well-meaning social workers and his own demons, he learns some difficult home truths.
Jonah, blissful in his ignorance, becomes the prism through which all the complicated strands of personal identity, family history and misunderstanding are finally untangled.
Funny and heart-breaking in equal measure, Shtum is a story about families, forgiveness and finding a light in the darkest days.
Selection panel review
Our library reading panel loved Shtum – here are some of their comments:
“This book is one of my favourites of 2015, a quite remarkable debut about a couple with an autistic son who make the decision that it might be best for them to temporarily separate in order for them to get their son Jonah into a residential school. Shtum is a powerful story that rocked me to my very core, it had me laughing one minute and crying the next, packed with dark humour it is the story of fathers and sons and the sacrifices you will make for your children. A truly delightful read that left me feeling uplifted and my heart aching.”
“I cannot stress highly enough how much I loved this book. Simply charming, beautiful and gut-wrenching. This would appeal to anyone who is a parent or has a parent! Told from the point of view of Ben a 30-something father of a severely autistic boy, this book grabs your heart strings, pulls them sideways and then snaps them back!”
About the author
Jem Lester was a journalist for nine years and saw the Berlin Wall fall in 1989 – and though there, he denies personal responsibility. He was also the last journalist to interview the legendary Fred Zinnemann, before the director died. He denies responsibility for that too. He taught English and Media studies at secondary schools for nine years. Jem has two children, one of whom is profoundly autistic, and for them he accepts total responsibility. He lives in London with his partner and her two children. On his inspiration for the book he says: “I think, initially, the idea for Shtum came from the realisation that my own non-verbal, autistic son was more forthright in expressing his wants and needs than I was. Of course, I wanted to dismantle the stereotype of the ‘gifted’ autistic child but at the same time I thought it imperative that the joy and humour of these wonderful, innocent children was recognised and celebrated.”
A word from Jem
“I am usually very good at keeping secrets, but when I heard that Shtum had been chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club with Simon Mayo, I was so tongue-tied that I physically couldn’t have blurted it out. I managed to keep shtum (sorry!), but it was a struggle.
Understanding the process by which it was chosen, the lengths to which The Reading Agency and Radio 2 go, to choose from the wealth of fantastic books, was humbling. I have taught English in secondary schools for many years, so I’ve seen first hand the amazing work they do in encouraging youngsters to read and improve their literacy. It is a privilege for my novel, a debut novel at that, to have been chosen.
When I look back at the company Shtum is keeping, all the wonderful writers and books it is following on from, it makes me realise that my novel is having an impact way beyond my expectations. I hoped, on finishing Shtum, that someone, somewhere may read it. Now, I find that it will be read by groups up and down the country and will inspire discussion, readings and events in our brilliant libraries too. Shtum seems to have begun puncturing some myths; early readers have written of tears and laughter.
I’m hugely looking forward to meeting and discussing it with Simon Mayo and his team at Radio 2 and all those who have – and will – take the trouble to read it."
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 9 May to hear a live interview with Jem Lester talking about his book.
Have you read Shtum? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter, post a review, or add it to your group’s reading list. You can also follow author Jem Lester on Twitter.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.
