BOOK REVIEW Ferris shows his emotions in this absorbing insight
OFTEN WHEN a book falls on the desk, it’s tempting to take a gander, read the synopsis on the back, sift through the author’s information and have a fair idea about the hours that lie ahead. Yet, thankfully, sometimes a book offers something different, a little intrigue.
It’s fair to say that what a reader wants in a book is a bit of the author’s heart, a bit of their soul. A skeleton is no good. To really produce a great book, the writer needs to dig deep into their guts and pull out everything that makes them tick as a person.
It’s why a ghostwriter is great for some but rips the life out of many a good story. It takes a really great wordsmith to make the reader believe it’s the real deal, and so few ghostwriters seem to be able to really walk in their subject’s shoes.
Therefore, it was a promising early sign that Paul Ferris, author and subject of ‘The Boy on the Shed’, actually wrote the book himself. It’s fair to say that never, in over 300 pages of emotional highs and lows, did this reviewer miss the presence of a ghostwriter.
The book has a foreword by Alan Shearer, the former England, Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle striker, sadly probably better known to the younger generation for his work with the BBC.
Ferris and Shearer became friends when the author was physio at St.
James’ Park. Their relationship grew and the Northern Irishman became a vital part of the striker’s backroom staff in his short spell as manager of the Magpies.
His friendship with Shearer is just a small part of the highs and lows of
Ferris’ life. A promising young footballer growing up as a Catholic on the dangerous streets of Lisburn, Ferris never really wanted to leave and take up a footballing career.
His relationships at home, particularly with his mother, Bernadette, and his childhood sweetheart, Geraldine, were pulling him back. As was his desire to better his situation through education. He details those struggles in the first half of the book.
He outlines the heartbreak of making the leap cross-channel, he talks about how things looked to be heading in a positive direction, and he is brutally honest about the most difficult moments of his life.
There is so much emotion in this publication that it’s hard to finish it and not feel like you know Paul Ferris. Every aspect of his life is laid bare in as honest an autobiography as you are ever likely to find.
Of course, there are lighter moments too, there are moments of triumph which, because of the quality of the writing, are almost as emotional as the bitter lows. Ferris also talks candidly about the characters he has encountered on his Newcastle journey from promising kid to physio.
It would be remiss of this reviewer not to point out one little annoying mistake, though: it’s Xabi Alonso, not Xavi Alonso, an error repeated in both the text of the book and, unfortunately, the photograph section. If nothing else, that would have made Joey Barton laugh.
But this is a fantastic piece of work, as from start to finish it never dips below superb. The reader is transported into Paul’s life, into his world. You have to feel the emotion in his words, and it’s not possible to read this book without sucking in the torment and despair.
This is a book for everyone. This is not just for soccer fans, not just for people who enjoy an autobiography, this is not just for sports fans. Absolutely anyone who enjoys a good read should head down to The Book Centre and pick up ‘The Boy on the Shed’.
DEAN GOODISON
Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.