The Unthinkable
A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping basket is already at capacity.
Add to cart failed.
Please try again later
Add to wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Remove from wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
₹0.00 for first 30 days
LIMITED TIME OFFER
Get 2 months for ₹5/month
Offer ends on 14 April, 2026 at 23:59.
Pay ₹5/month for 2 months and ₹199/month after 2 months, Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 14 April 2026 at 23:59. Take this offer!
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep.
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks.
Download titles to your library and listen offline.
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Unthinkable
Narrated by:
David Challen
Buy Now for ₹500.00
-
Narrated by:
-
David Challen
-
Written by:
-
David Challen
About this listen
'Unthinkable stares down horror and heartbreak. A story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth' Laura Kuenssberg
'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir' Samira Ahmed
'A devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son' Irish Independent
"When my mum struck, it was with the cumulative rage of thirty years of hurt."
David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family.
He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control.
One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dirty dishes from the lunch she had just cooked and left the house. In those few minutes, David's life was changed forever.
Over the next decade, he led the fight to overturn her conviction; and in doing so he not only freed his mother and helped change the legal system, but also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country.
This is a powerful story of a son's love for his mother; of an insidious form of abuse that must be better understood if we are to truly tackle it; and fight that reshaped how society understands domestic abuse.©2022 David Challen
Critic Reviews
'a devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son'
'Unthinkable stares down horror and heartbreak. A story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth.' (Laura Kuenssberg)
'David is one of the most courageous men I know, and I met him when he was campaigning for his mum while she was still in prison. His book is one that everyone should read to understand coercive control, and what it is like to be a child growing up in a house where there is domestic abuse.' (Melanie Brown OBE, aka Mel B)
'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir.' (Samira Ahmed)
No reviews yet