So Farewell Then Peter Cook: The Untold Life of Peter Cook by Wendy E Cook has to be one of the most engaging books that I have read in recent years. This book is not only extremely illuminating, but also very thought provoking. Whilst it provides an insight into the trials and tribulations of the life of a genius it also provokes the reader into taking a long, hard look at themselves. By the end of this gripping read, one finds oneself not only asking questions about the subject under the microscope, but one also finds oneself questioning oneself and one’s own relationships with one’s own identity and with those whom whom one interacts.
For example, I have found myself questioning my relationship with my parents and with women; but more than this it has raised all sorts of questions about how I deal with emotions, both emotions within myself, and how I show emotion towards others. Also I have found myself questioning how I deal with issues of personal privacy, and that just maybe this borders on a sort of paranoid secrecy. Not only are such questions raised in the readers mind, but it highlights just how difficult the answers to such questions are to find.
This is a book which works on several levels: firstly it is an extremely good read, secondly it is a very entertaining read and beautifully written, and finally it is something of a therapeutic read in that it makes one question oneself and one’s relationships. In fact, I would go as far as to say, “if you read no other books in the coming months, read this one!”
