The Unthinkable
A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Unthinkable
Narrated by:
David Challen
Buy Now for $30.09
-
Narrated by:
-
David Challen
-
By:
-
David Challen
About this listen
'Unthinkable stares down horror and heartbreak. A story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth' Laura Kuenssberg
'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir' Samira Ahmed
'A devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son' Irish Independent
"When my mum struck, it was with the cumulative rage of thirty years of hurt."
David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family.
He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control.
One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dirty dishes from the lunch she had just cooked and left the house. In those few minutes, David's life was changed forever.
Over the next decade, he led the fight to overturn her conviction; and in doing so he not only freed his mother and helped change the legal system, but also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country.
This is a powerful story of a son's love for his mother; of an insidious form of abuse that must be better understood if we are to truly tackle it; and fight that reshaped how society understands domestic abuse.©2022 David Challen
Critic Reviews
'a devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son'
'Unthinkable stares down horror and heartbreak. A story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth.' (Laura Kuenssberg)
'David is one of the most courageous men I know, and I met him when he was campaigning for his mum while she was still in prison. His book is one that everyone should read to understand coercive control, and what it is like to be a child growing up in a house where there is domestic abuse.' (Melanie Brown OBE, aka Mel B)
'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir.' (Samira Ahmed)
Compelling. Insightful. Grounded. 👏
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It leaves me wondering what my own children remember of what we all went through and brings a whole different level of awareness when you look at the impacts from a child's perspective.
I'm honestly so impressed with David's strength and ability to communicate in such an engaging but honest way.
Unputdownable
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.