A Book of secrets by Derren Brown: A Review

 

This book was sent to me by the lovely Alison Barrow for sending me a blogger copy of this book way back in September. As usual with gifted/sponsored books my policies are all in the top bar of this blog and just because it was a gift doesn't mean I will pull my punches. Anyway, enough with the formalities onto this book, the first non fiction book I've ever been asked to review!

Firstly, I must be a little shallow for a minute and say this book is absolutely gorgeous. The dust cover is pretty in its own right but take that off and it's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. I'm not gonna even attempt to capture it's glory but holy shit if you see a copy of this in a shop lift up the dust cover it's worth the odd looks you'll get in Waterstones or your local indie trust me. Whoever designed this you have my eternal gratitude. 

Secondly, I have to be honest this book took me a long time to read. An inordinately long time in fact. I received it in late September and got round to it on October the 1st and I only finished it relatively recently, I'm normally a very quick reader so I will be honest this did start to get to me after a while. This book is impossible to speed read you have to get into it and absorb it thoroughly.

Thirdly, if you don't know Derren Brown, well you may have lived under a rock. He's a man who seemed to be on TV all the time in my teens and I even had to study a bit of his work in my psychology A-Level some time ago. He also has a mediocre Thorpe Park ride ( I am very biased though). None of this however matters as this is all about his book. However as a very important aside he does mention that he has two dogs called Humbug and Doodle which endears me to him somewhat.

Through this book though led to a slightly odd experience. There is something strange about reading a book about life and how to get through it if not unscathed then at least hopefully changed for the better in all those quick stolen moments I get at work, the morning and afternoon commute, lunch breaks and all those other odd segments of time. Watching covid seem to pick up again and public health imposing more things at work as I turn another page about stoicism and why it might not be right about everything is odd. Precariously balancing a lateral flow test between the two covers with my bookmark holding it in place as I had to go to another building at work, it once again tells me I'm negative and breathing a sigh of relief.  Looking down between the gold and the pages to try and remember the number, typing in the result between tasks and snatched moments and waiting for the confirmation email to confirm what I already knew. Finishing the book as half term finally comes around and finally letting this poor thing out of my battered work bag. All these actions are flipping bizarre and would make no sense any other time than this. I guess what I'm trying to say is this book was with me far longer that most others and whilst I felt at some points it might never end that wasn't bad at all. In fact it was more like snatched bits of a ted talk than reading and I do in fact mean this as a compliment.

In fact some chapters had me completely enthralled and even then I couldn't speed read them. I was stuck with it telling it's stories to me at it's own speed. I don't know if technically you can spoil a non fiction but I think you can so I won't but there is a chapter called The Secrets of Magic and in that chapter is a section entitled Instructions: a Card Trick and it is flipping brilliant. Honestly, I did not want it to end at all. 

In fact this whole book has a very strong and distinctive voice and I will warn you your mileage may vary. For some people the slow pace and it's very distinctive tone may be grating. For me it really grew on me and by the end of it I was almost shocked when it ended. 

The final chapter is brilliant and really thought provoking and the ending whilst abrupt does on re-reading feel like a good ending. Like stepping off the train after a long work day and finally getting home.

I enjoyed this book far more than I ever thought I would and several parts have really stuck with me. Derren Brown's voice throughout it is almost more like a TED talk or a non boring lecture, one you really wanted to attend rather than one you were forced through. Overall I really recommend this book. It's stuck with me through a lot and maybe it'll do the same to you.