Book review of 'Stuart, A Life Backwards' by Alexander Masters

‘Stuart, A Life Backwards’ is a biography about a homeless psychotic drug abuser. He is an interesting subject for a biography because usually they deal with celebrities, historical figures or people who have done something noteworthy.
At Stuarts own suggestion, the biography is written backwards. The narrator is Alexander Masters and it is mostly his voice that we hear but he also uses letters, diary extracts, and records of interviews to construct Stuart’s story and add validity to the account. When the story begins the reader is already informed of Stuart’s supposed suicide and though it is told backwards, the narrative does not proceed in a chronological straight line. The question must be asked why Masters chose this technique of playing with the timeline. In parts it can be confusing for the reader when trying to locate themselves in the story. Perhaps this technique is trying to mirror Stuart’s ‘chaotic’ persona.
Stuart has had a life full of prison sentences, drug usage from the age of thirteen and homelessness. Many of his problems can be traced back to his childhood when he was horrifically abused by his family and others in positions of trust. Yet despite this, Stuart is presented as endearing and surprisingly likable.
The biography has the effect of making people more aware of the social issue of homelessness and challenges some of the stereotypes that we might have of homeless people. It is a common belief that people are homeless through faults of their own, but after reading this account of Stuart’s life the reader sympathises with him and realises that he is not entirely to blame for everything that has gone wrong.