J A Crawshaw

The Void Between Words J A Crawshaw

The Void Between Words







Shame and inadequacy were an intrinsic part of growing up in the 1970s with dyslexia. Self-doubt and high anxiety cast long shadows over a boy with a bright, inquisitive but misunderstood mind. Downtrodden by the hobnail boot of working-class life, he finds solace within nature and discovers the ability to communicate with trees.




This inspirational true story follows his turbulent life of illiteracy, social exclusion and workplace bullying. A disfiguring nightclub attack, motorcycle accident and skin cancer only compound the problems brought about by his inherent learning difficulties and resultant lack of confidence.




The Void Between Words delves deep into a world where it was easier to escape the pressures of life and internalise his individuality, wallow in the mire of insecurity and become imprisoned without hope. A poignant and often humorous story we discover secrets, rejection, love and loss but ultimately, self-discovery and enlightenment.




Powered by an irrepressible need to express his own individuality, his artistic frustration eventually breaks loose of its literary shackles, and he enters into a passionate love affair with words. He eventually finds strength and courage and, to his complete surprise, cannot contain the overwhelming urge to write a novel.




The words which once imprisoned him become his greatest gift, and his frustrated creativity is finally set free. With joy and optimism, his new vocation as a writer is to encourage and inspire all those who might feel trapped and worthless as a result of being different.