Summary of Dennis Nilsen's History of a Drowning Boy

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 I was born in 1945, after my mother had been divorced for her adultery. My sister, Sylvia, was born in 1947, and this event provided my mother with the grounds to finally divorce my father for his adultery.

#2 I grew up in a small town in Scotland, surrounded by cold and hostility. I was raised by my mother, grandmother, and aunt, who were all very religious. I was often screamed at, and I cried a lot.

#3 My grandfather, who had taken a liking to me, had a traumatic impact on my early development. He was a good man, but he had a secret life of sexual abuse that he couldn’t control.

#4 I had lost the good aspect of my grandfather as well as the painful trauma of his abuse. I had wished him gone, and he had gone, leaving behind the stark memory of the uncertain fact of his disappearance. I was told that he was in heaven, but I knew not where that was.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822526730

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Insights on Dennis Nilsen's History of a Drowning Boy

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I was born in 1945, after my mother had been divorced for her adultery. My sister, Sylvia, was born in 1947, and this event provided my mother with the grounds to finally divorce my father for his adultery.

#2

I grew up in a small town in Scotland, surrounded by cold and hostility. I was raised by my mother, grandmother, and aunt, who were all very religious. I was often screamed at, and I cried a lot.

#3

My grandfather, who had taken a liking to me, had a traumatic impact on my early development. He was a good man, but he had a secret life of sexual abuse that he couldn’t control.

#4

I had lost the good aspect of my grandfather as well as the painful trauma of his abuse. I had wished him gone, and he had gone, leaving behind the stark memory of the uncertain fact of his disappearance. I was told that he was in heaven, but I knew not where that was.

#5

I was extremely shy and withdrawn as a boy. I felt awkward and inadequate in myself, and I was drawn to feel the soft skin of the boys around me. I had always accepted that my half-brother, Olav, was more beautiful than me.

#6

In 1954, my mother was given a high tenement, two-bedroom council flat in the downtown area of Fraserburgh, where she moved with her single-parent brood of three. I was willingly accepted as a viable member of this peer group.

#7

I was in love with a boy I saw in the playground, but I was too shy to even talk to him. I felt warmth towards him, but I was too afraid to reveal my feelings. I was obsessed with him, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

#8

In 1956, my family moved to 16 Baird Road in the small country village of Strichen, eight miles south-west of Fraserburgh, where Adam had been granted a council house nearer his work. I missed my friends from Mid Street and I missed Fraserburgh and its surrounding land and seascape.

#9

I had taken my 11 Plus examination at Fraserburgh Central School, and failed it. My educational future was set at Stricken School, and I was set to become a factory fodder with few prospects of advancement in the local community.

#10

I had a paper round after which I delivered fresh rolls and milk for the Co-op, where I also worked on Saturday mornings. I did all this on a couple of slices of bread and a mug of tea. I was relieved to snuggle up near the classroom radiator and I frequently dozed off, feeling tired and run down.

#11

My mother was a housewife who was envious of the Fentys, whom she regarded as scroungers. She was not a woman to verbally cross swords with, as many other wives found out the hard way.

#12

I had a difficult relationship with my mother. She would taunt me with