The Unthinkable: A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother

David Challen's book is a powerful call to action and a deeply moving memoir of his experience with coercive control.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 05 June 2025
Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group

David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family. He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control. One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dirty dishes from the lunch she had just cooked and left the house. In those few minutes, David's life was changed forever. Over the next decade, he led the fight to overturn her conviction and in doing so he not only freed his mother and helped change the legal system, but also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country. This is a powerful story of a son's love for his mother; of an insidious form of abuse that must be better understood if we are to truly tackle it; and fight that reshaped how society understands domestic abuse.
David Challen's book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand coercive control and the experiences of children growing up in homes with domestic abuse. Melanie Brown MBE, also known as Mel B, describes it as "unthinkable" and "a story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth." Laura Kuenssberg praises the book's beautiful writing and deeply moving content, stating that she read it in one sitting. Samira Ahmed calls it a "devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son." The Irish Independent describes it as a "powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir." David Challen grew up in a perfect home with a model family, but he also lived in a house where his father's manipulation and control were concealed. One Saturday in 2010, his mother struck her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dishes and left the house. This event changed David's life forever. Over the next decade, he fought to overturn his mother's conviction and helped change the legal system. He also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country. This story is a powerful testament to a son's love for his mother, the insidious nature of abuse, and the fight to reshape how society understands domestic abuse.

Weight: 376g
Dimension: 143 x 224 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914240263