Review of Shattered by Hanif Kureishi

The Hindu

02-05-2025

People who love Hanif Kureishi's work as a novelist and screenwriter were in for a rude shock as news of his fall and spinal cord injury in Rome made headlines in 2022. It was horrifying to imagine the enormity of his agony, as he was confined to a hospital bed and forced to take on the identity of a patient.
He could no longer 'walk, write or wash himself', and struggled to accept this new reality that made him 'entirely dependent on the goodwill of others', as recounted in his new book Shattered — a profound work of contemplative prose.
At the outset, the memoir compels the reader to think about what it means to write, not only as an outlet for creative expression or as a tool for socio-political change but as a physical act. The fall, we are told, resulted in neck hyperextension and immediate tetraplegia, which rendered Kureishi unable to move his limbs, scratch his nose, feed himself or make a phone call. He wondered if he would ever manage to hold a pen, or walk on his own. It began as 'a series of despatches' dictated to his partner, Isabella, and his sons Sachin, Carlo and Kier from hospital beds in Italy and in the U.K., where he now lives. These dictated drafts were revised, expanded and edited in the same collaborative manner with Carlo.
Honest look at care
The book offers an honest glimpse of how frustrating it can be to ask for and receive support. Kureishi admits, for instance, how impatient he gets with Isabella. 'She is Italian and English is her second language, so she doesn't always get what I say,' he notes. This slows down the process of his dictation and her note-taking. He acknowledges that his condition is a huge drain on her, and he is unsure if he would have been capable of offering the care she does. While this could be a fair evaluation of his own personality, it could be read as an admission of how patriarchy normalises the unequal distribution of care work in intimate relationships.
Shattered belongs to the genre of autopathography, which focuses on autobiographical narratives about the experience of illness. It captures the inner life of a person who has nowhere to go and must learn to keep his mind occupied, even distracted, to avoid succumbing to suicidal thoughts. He thinks of himself as a 'vegetable', feels jealous of people who have 'fit bodies', and feels bad for himself because he cannot go back to the life he once enjoyed. In one of these moments, Kureishi writes, 'Will I ever get out of this, will I die here? I think about killing myself by overdosing. It would be a relief.'
Leaning on humour
Kureishi shows what it is like to feel imprisoned in a space that is meant to help him recover. He speaks on behalf of every person who has felt disempowered by the medical-industrial complex because it treats their body as an object to be inspected rather than respected.
Since the food tastes like cardboard, and it is boring to stare at empty walls for hours at a stretch, Kureishi entertains himself by writing about the quirks of nurses and physiotherapists at the hospital. He appreciates their cheerfulness and hard work and feels sorry that they are not paid adequately for their labour. On one occasion, after three physiotherapists walk into his room, he remarks, 'I have become a big admirer of Italian men… Their skin is smooth and it glows. Their sharp dark body hair is inspiring. They are neither macho nor mummy's boys.'
It is the author's sense of humour that seems to protect him from losing his bearings during this excruciating period. The humour is often dark and politically incorrect. Kureishi believes that psychiatrists are not good listeners; they are too eager to diagnose and prescribe anti-depressants.
About his own psychiatrist, Kureishi writes, 'I've ended up analysing his dreams. Since he was struck by how often he dreams about Donald Trump, I had to inform him of how much he envies Trump's brutality and freedom to do or say whatever occurs to him.'
This book makes the reader think about how people with disabilities are expected to be victims, heroes, or grateful beneficiaries of charity rather than complicated, imperfect beings who craft their own unique paths out of the hell they have been thrust into. Kureishi allows himself to whine and admit how 'the sick can dominate a family, sucking out all the oxygen' even as he expresses appreciation for his loved ones.
This memoir is the story of his determination 'to keep writing' and draw sustenance from words. In doing so, he has created a book that will give courage to the hopeless and evoke empathy in the cold-hearted.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on these 24x7 helplines: KIRAN 1800-599-0019, Aasra 9820466726.)
The reviewer is a journalist, educator and literary critic.
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