The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

During the Second World War Eric Lomax was forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway and was tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio.

Left emotionally scarred and unable to form normal relationships, Lomax suffered for years until, with the help of his wife, Patti Lomax, and of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, he came terms with what happened. Fifty years after the terrible events, he was able to meet one of his tormentors.

The Railway Man is a story of innocence betrayed, and of survival and courage in the face of horror.

When I first bought this book I had no idea how 'big' a book it was. Not in length, but in terms of its effect. Not only had the book had been published well over a decade before I picked it up, it had been phenomenally successful and won the 1996 NCR Book Award and the J R Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. What I had gone and bought was Vintage's celebratory re-jacketing of the now-classic memoir.

Well, what a read. You could say I was naive as to the emotional power a story like this has. Growing up in the modern world I have always been aware of images everywhere of war zones, terrorist attacks, violent dictatorships and from that you certainly build at least a little immunity from the shock factor. Not a good thing. This book, however, not only proved that I have not been entirely stripped of any emotion or empathy... But also illustrated the danger of not knowing. Soldiers were subject to the cruellest treatment all over the world  as POWs but after their release, there was a feeling that they were the lucky ones - all kitted out in luxury away from the front line. To be traumatised is one thing, for the trauma to be left unacknowledged and thus untreated is another.

I was bemoaning to my sister the way that our parents and grandparents have shaped the world so much they have left little for us to put our name to, aside from yet more technology to deplete our resources and the rise of size zero. But she said an interesting thing and that was that surely we will be part of a psychological age of some kind, where we all understand ourselves and each other more through psychological advances, therapy et al. This book certainly goes along with that argument and the therapeutic opportunities and recognition of trauma that Lomax receives eventually is arguably what gives this book it's unique power.

Anyway, sorry that this has turned all whimsical, the book itself is a must read. It's educational, it lacks bitterness, the images are clear as day without even a single photograph and I was left feeling extremely fortunate.

Lomax sadly died in 2012 but did live to know his book would be made into a film. Indeed he met his Hollywood selves, Colin Firth and Jeremy Irvine. The film is out now.