Stuart: A Life Backwards

This story has been to me, one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read--if not the most remarkable.

Recently, I became a fan of the BBC TV series Sherlock. Infact, so impressed was I with the quality of acting in the series, I researched the stars. On finding that an actor who I'd never heard of before, Benedict Cumberbatch, played title role of Sherlock, I did further probing to find out what else he'd performed in.

Somewhere along the search, I discovered that Cumberbatch had worked with one of my favourite actors, Tom Hardy, in something called Stuart: a Life Backwards. It is again, produced by the BBC and is a TV movie about a homeless man.

My interest was of no great measure initially. Now, I have read the book and seen the movie, and could easily quote you Stuart's life and even Stuart himself. Everyone I know who has seen or read of his life cannot walk away without having an impression made, or at least go unaffected by the story.

The book, written in the first person by Masters himself, is as the title would suggest: a book with a plot line written backwards. This idea was from Stuart: "Write it backwards, like a murder mystery," he said.

It commences with Stuart in his early thirties, and explores how he changed so dramatically from being a "happy-go-lucky" child, as his mother remarked to a convicted criminal. It ends with his death.

In between is a whirlwind of tragedy, abuse, drugs, self-mutilation and above all, friendship. Not only does the book reveal so much more to Stuart than meets the eye, but it will forever change the judgement of the homeless to whomever reads it.

For me, it dealt a great deal with the basics of humanity; the fact that all people need love and that even Stuart Shorter, jailed countless times and having committed dozens of offences, was a good human being.

Anyone who does decide to look into Stuart: a Life Backwards, or perhaps even stumbles upon it accidentally, will feel great love for the man--this man who the court rooms convict as a criminal. He was considered dangerous at most points in his life, and yet Masters remarks often in the book that he never feared Stuart. He was entirely safe with him, or at least not in harms way.

I would recommend this story to everyone and anyone willing, and in honour of Stuart, I shall simply add:

"Mushrooms."