Dark, painful memories can be put away to be forgotten. Until one day they all flood back in horrible detail.
When television producers approached Alan Cumming to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show, he hoped to solve the mystery of his maternal grandfather’s disappearance that had long cast a shadow over his family. But this was not the only mystery laid before Alan.
Alan grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan’s father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade when he reconnected just before filming for Who Do You Think You Are? began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan’s life forever.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest, Not My Father’s Son is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.
I’d heard about this book in my book club and wanted to read it. The moment I learned about Alan Cumming, I was intrigued. The man is interesting, funny and writes well.
Where some may not like the back and forth style of this book – he alternates between his past and his current situation – I liked it. I didn’t see any other way to understand what he’d been through besides going back and forth between the past where he’d been abused by his father and unloved by the man, to the guy he’s become – the guy searching for himself.
I liked how his search for his past was chronicled in the book and on the show “Who Do You Think You Are?”. It made Cumming more realistic to me. I laughed at some of his stories, cried at his heartbreak and rooted for him to have the happy ending he deserved. There were moments I couldn’t help but be angry for what he’d gone through and I liked his brother.
If you want a book that’s well written, amusing, gut-wrenching and touching, then this might be the one for you. I recommend it.
Plug in the guitar, raise the curtain, and step onto the haunted stage
Megan Slayer and Wendi Zwaduk 