Shattered: Hanif Kureishi's 'inspirational' memoir of accident that left him paralysed
'Exhilarating' book brings together diary entries dictated to his son

"You'd think that a book about a paralysed man lying in hospital for a year would be bound to be boring," said Lynn Barber in The Spectator. But this memoir "never is". Hanif Kureishi is "such an exhilarating writer that you read agog even when he's describing having his nappies changed or fingers stuck up his bottom".
The story begins on Boxing Day in 2022, when the novelist, then 68, was watching TV in his girlfriend Isabella's flat in Rome. After becoming dizzy, he put his head between his legs and fell off the sofa – and in doing so partially broke his neck. As a result, he's now tetraplegic: though he has some feeling in his limbs, he "cannot feed himself... or hold a pen".
Fortunately, he can still talk, and that's how he wrote "Shattered": the book is composed of diary entries dictated to his son Carlo, which he began days after the accident "to stop myself from dying inside". Interspersing his experiences of hospital with reminiscences of his childhood and youth, it is gripping and at times unbearably moving. I've never called any book "inspirational" before, but in this case it's the "only word I can think of".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kureishi has always been the most "unsparing" of writers, and he doesn't shy away from detailing the gulf between his former life and his new status as what he calls a "near vegetable", said James Walton in The Daily Telegraph. As he reminds us, "he was quite a guy in his prime": a pleasure-seeker whose novels were "shot through with a commitment to following the libido wherever it leads". While part of him is bitterly aware that such pleasures are "gone for ever", another part can't believe he'll never get them back.
For all the misery he describes, "Kureishi remains concerned with showing his readers a good time", said Rob Doyle in The Observer. "I have to say that becoming paralysed is a great way to meet new people," he quips. And while "able-bodied" sex is now beyond him, he wonders if he may eventually "be capable of a little light cunnilingus".
Given its origins as a "survival diary", it's not surprising that this book has a somewhat "scattered" quality, said Dina Nayeri in The Guardian. Many of the ideas it contains "beg for a more careful working out". And yet it's undeniably affecting to see the "agony of becoming a burden" turn Kureishi into a softer, more considerate person. He discovers "new empathy" for those around him, a "renewed interest in others". Written in Kureishi's "singular voice", Shattered is a brave attempt to "create meaning" from a personal catastrophe of the very worst kind.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
September 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO Party
The Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during spooky season
The Week Recommends As fall arrives, check out new albums from Taylor Swift, Jeff Tweedy, the Lemonheads and more
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Feature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2