Stuart A Life Backwards

In a life backwards stuart gradually takes the author alexander masters and the reader back in time and shows how his life experiences as a child and young adult shaped him into becoming the person that alexander sees which is an unstable adult who eventually looses his life.

Stuart a life backwards. A life backwards is a biography by alexander masters of his friend stuart clive shorter formerly at various times a prisoner and a career criminal. It s hard to fully summarise stuart. It is also funny and clever and wonderful. There is depicted here not just a young man s lifelong fight against abuse of every kind but his resiliance intelligence and wit.

A life backwards but believe me when i i wouldn t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn t yet read it but this story is heartbreaking. As alexander gets to know stuart more he asks him if he can write his life story it is stuart who suggests the story be written backwards. The story is written in reverse by doing so alexander gains an insight into how stuart s life became so chaotic and out of control. It explores how a young boy somewhat disabled from birth became mentally unstable criminal and violent living homeless on the streets of cambridge.

The story line is told backwards as stuart requested and the film ends with a poignant resolution to stuart s heartbreaking situation. Tom hardy stars as stuart shorter alongside benedict cumberbatch as alexander masters in the 90 minute film directed by david attwood to the ends of the ea.