Book Review: "Sometimes I Forgot To Laugh" Peter Roebuck (Allen & Unwin 2005)

"... he fought for his place in a world that did not suit him nearly as well."
The words of Peter Roebuck's father, published in 2004, at the end of this book, are an eerie epitaph in the light of his death. In fact, Roebuck's last three sentences of the book include "Alas, the dismayed will continue to take their lives for life is all the more fragile than it appears."

Whether a fan of Peter Roebuck or not, this is a fascinating insight into the man, all the more remarkable for the fact he has opened the door and let us in to a world he usually kept so private. A man who clearly placed enormous demands upon himself and those he considered capable enough to get on with life, he was never the less compassionate to a fault and immensely interested in life and the characters that give it colour and was filled to the brim with the imperfect humanity in us all.

He felt abandoned by England and had no great concern in adopting Australia, loving its capacity and preference for openness.

His legendary falling out with Ian Botham is covered in detail and despite painting a sympathetic picture of Beefy, he isn't backward in his dislike for the skulduggery Botham applied in making life difficult for him, from the fallout at Somerset onwards. His praise for Australians such as Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Mark Taylor and the manner in which junior cricketers are developed in Australia is noteworthy by comparison to his own experience in passing from boy to man.

As you would expect, it is an extremely well written book by a man who shuffled words on a page with great mastery. Like his newspaper jottings, there is much more on the page than the story being told. There are many dog-eared pages in my copy and highlighted quotes worthy of repetition but perhaps two to finish with which remind us of where we started.

"A man may survive many blows, outstare numerous disappointments and still hold his head high. Its not the harshness that brings him down but the tiny, unendurable slights that follow."
... and my personal favourite
"A man must follow his spirit for otherwise something dies within."