I used to consider myself open-minded, nothing could shock me. That was until I picked up this book. I think I am damaged after reading this. The Bedwetter has major shock elements, and the average reader will find this book extremely difficult to read. It is filled with gory details that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up for days. Finishing this book left me with a sleepless night as the details continued to circle my mind.

As my first encounter with Lee Allen Howard’s writing, this book shocked me. I find myself wondering how he came up with this. I must give him credit he did an amazing job. I felt like I was reading the journal of a psychopath. The book was so shocking I could believe a psycho wrote it.

The Bedwetter reads like a journal. The entire story is written from Russell’s point of view. You spend all your time in Russell’s head. He shares his dreams and thoughts and actions as he sees them. When you think you have heard it all, Russell reveals just a little more detail that again sends your jaw dropping to the ground.

The details in this book shocks, it is an explicit read that leaves nothing to the imagination. I found myself wondering if somewhere in the world someone like Russell exits, and I admit the idea is extremely frightening.  As horrifying as this book is, I found myself still empathising with Russell. His family deserved to be crucified. How any parent can treat a child the way he was treated and then simply turn a blind eye when the wheels start falling off is beyond me. No child deserves that.

This book made my stomach turn, I have never read anything like this. The worst part was even as the opening chapter left me completely disgusted, I could not force myself to put it down. The author created a very realistic journal, telling Russell’s story in a way that makes it completely impossible to stop reading. Right from the start you know you are headed down a dark path by reading this book, but you find yourself hooked and you cannot stop reading.

If you are at all sensitive, do not reach for this book. However, if you are looking for a story that will shock you, keep you awake at night and turn your stomach as you flip the pages, then The Bedwetter is the book for you. I honestly believed that I could handle anything and that no work of fiction could ever get to me, then I read this book. Reaching the last page, I was grateful that this book was a work of fiction. The idea of this being real is a terrifying thought.