Dean Jamieson was murdered on 04/04/2006, leaving an irreplaceable void in the lives of those who held him dear.
Dean's mother, Josephine, pens a devastating novel that is a deeply intimate and personal examination of the life and death of her child and the grief that accompanies such a loss.Jamieson critiques the landscape following an untimely death; the support of the social sector and the police, the role of the media and reportage and the effect on family.Jamieson's prose, whilst at times visceral, portrays the emotional weight of burying a child but offers, amongst the darkness, hope. This is a work, whilst being intimate, that transcends the personal and offers solidarity to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
Josephine Jamieson was born in Ayr on February 9th 1956 to James and Freda Anderson. She lived in Aberdeen later in life for 31 years. She was a mother of four, until her eldest child Dean was brutally taken away from her through murder. This is her story.
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Oh my! *Deep Breath* Goodness, I didn't realise just how hard a read and how emotionally exhausting "Last Touch" by Josephine Jamieson was going to be. A true personal account written from the heart by a grief stricken mother after the vicious murder of her eldest son.
On 04/04/2006, Dean Jamieson, a thirty year old Scottish dad mistakenly gets into what he thinks is a taxi after a drunken night out. The horrendous ordeal he suffers due to this untimely mistake results in his murder - he is left naked, bruised and bleeding in the freezing weather - ultimately leading to hypothermia. Brutal thugs carried out this horrific and barbaric attack and this very brave and highly personal journal by Deans mother, Jo Jamieson, recounts Dean's youth, of her devastating grief at finding out her son is dead, through the police investigation to the ordeal of a trial and finally life after the conviction of the murderers. Although painful for Jo to write this book she is offering anyone who has suffered the sudden and brutal loss of a child, hope and the solidarity to keep going for the remaining family with the aim that life will go on eventually. This must have been an unbelievably hard book to write for all concerned. I couldn't believe the lack of help and counselling available to the victim's family following the murder, yet the accused has immediately available to them all kinds of support and advice.
I seriously cannot imagine the searing pain and heartache Jo and her family needlessly suffered, my heart went out to her on every page she wrote. As a mother myself to three sons this book just tore my heart in two, many a time I had to stop to catch my breath and compose myself. It certainly puts a lot in perspective - nothing could be worse in life than what poor happy go lucky Dean had to endure.
Be warned, this is a highly emotional and harrowing book but compelling all the same and I truly wish Dean's mam and all the family, lots of love all the very best for the future.
5 emotional stars
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