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BOOK REVIEW - SO YOUNG BY GERARD GORMAN WITH DAMIAN GORMAN

So Young

The Taking of My Life by the Catholic Church

by

Gerard Gorman

with Damian Gorman

Blackstaff Press 2022

https://blackstaffpress.com/so-young-9781780733418

When he was twelve and in first year at St Colman's College in Newry, Gerard Gorman was abused by paedophile priest Father Malachy Finegan.  Gerard was so traumatised that for many years he was unable to talk about what had happened to him.

So Young is Gerard's powerful and courageous account of how he finally found a voice to tell his story.  In this memoir - with the help of his brother, the poet Damian Gorman - he talks openly about the abuse he suffered and the impact it had on his life and on the lives of those around him.  He describes too his role in exposing Finegan and his long and painful battle with the Catholic Church - in and out of the civil courts - to force it to acknowledge the harm done to him and the cover-up that perpetuated Finegan's abuse.

Brave, moving and open-hearted, so Young is a powerful account of surviving abuse and a damning indictment of an institution that continues to stonewall victims.

I cannot remember ever if, after reading a book, I cried.  But, after reading So Young, I shed a few tears.  It is so moving to read Gerard Gorman's story of how, at twelve-years-old, he was raped and sexually abused repeatedly by a Catholic priest, Father Malachy Finegan.  His story of carrying around his "secret" for decades, not telling a soul, even his loving, caring mother, is heartbreaking. 

Gerard relates his rollercoaster life story with unharnessed candour - from the terrible, wicked abuse he suffered, to the challenges of his family life including living with an erratic-tempered father, to his experiences in The Troubles, to married life, his relationships with his wife and children, and all the time carrying the heavy burden of what happened to him back in St Colman's College with that despicable priest who, it must be emphasised, was protected by Catholic authorities until his death.

But, once Gerard started receiving treatment for mental health issues, he gradually found a way to open up and eventually he told his doctor about Finegan and what he had done.  Having finally found a way to utter the words he had suppressed for forty years and more, a door opened that eventually led him out onto a long journey through the courts to fight for justice.  

It may sound bizarre, but this is a beautiful book borne out of terrible circumstances, events that Gerard will never forget, but at least he received a kind of justice and added his voice to those other victims crying out to be believed against the might of a powerful religious institution.

And what made me shed a few tears?  Apart from being angry, upset and sad at various times, the chapter containing the emotional "impact statements" of Gerard's wife and children, and Gerard's closing words as he thanked those who helped and supported him through the dark years: 

"And finally I want to thank a twelve-year-old boy.  A small boy I initially hated but grew to love."

Gerard Gorman and his brother Damian have done a remarkable job with this book.  Highly recommended.