Not My Father's Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming (Dey Street, $26.99)
In 1992, Queen Elizabeth gave a famous speech marking the 40th anniversary of her accession to the British throne in which she described the past year being an annus horribilis, a horrible year, mainly due to the romantic disasters of her children and a fire at Windsor Castle that caused serious damage. In his new memoir, Scottish actor Alan Cumming describes his annus horribilis, 2010, in which deeply buried family secrets were revealed as a result of his participation in the popular UK celebrity genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?
Cumming had agreed to appear hoping the producers would solve a family mystery involving his maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, a celebrated WWII hero who did not return home after the war, but instead became a policeman in Malaysia, dying under mysterious circumstances, an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound, in 1951. These revelations were compounded by the announcement of his father, dying of cancer, that Alan was not his son, but the result of an extramarital affair between Alan's mother and another man. Among his many thespian accomplishments, Cumming is the host of PBS' Masterpiece Mystery series, and his book reads like a detective novel as he attempts to fill in the gaps in both his family's history and his own painful childhood.
This is no typical showbiz autobiography. Nor does it focus on how Cumming became an actor, his career, or development since childhood. Rather, the book alternates between the life-altering events of 2010 (Now) with chapters from his youth growing up in Angus Scotland on a vast country estate where his father was head forester (Then). His probably mentally-ill father emotionally and physically abused Alan and his older brother Tom. The memoir is Alan's attempt to exorcise his demons and make peace with his past. His father is a paranoid bully and monster. The chapters detailing incidents of his humiliating and violent cruelty to Alan are harrowing reading, particularly one instance where his father cuts his hair with a rusty pair of sheep clippers while screaming what a useless boy he is. His father was also a serial philanderer, flaunting his womanizing, taking Alan along on dates to act as a cover. Alan was terrified of his father's outbreaks of violence, with beatings causing pain and physical injury. Later his father excuses his abuse because Alan was not really his biological son, saying, "You should have known, since we never bonded."
Cumming wants to find out whether his father was telling the truth, so he and Tom take a DNA test together to prove or disprove paternity, the result of which provides the key drama to this story. The book is riveting as Cumming absorbs new revelations. But the chapters detailing his grandfather's life are not as compelling as those centered on his father, so the book can seem fragmentary. Alan, who describes himself as a "Scottish elf trapped inside a middle-aged man's body," is as emotionally honest as the characters he portrays, and he shows no self-pity.
Although the book is a heavy read, Cumming's puckish optimism pervades throughout, and to his credit, he tries to empathize with his emotional terrorist father. One has the sense that it is Alan's acting that helped him survive, although this connection with the healing power of creativity is only implied. Also, although Alan identifies as bisexual, there is no mention of how his sexuality may have been a factor in his abuse. But there is a terrific chapter on his musings about playing a transvestite in a British TV show, The Runaway. Apparently he has a supportive relationship with his husband Grant, though there are few details on its origin or development, as well as silence about his earlier romances with women and men (such as actress Saffron Burrows and director Nick Philippou). These are minor criticisms, as Cumming is a talented writer with a poetic bent. With Not My Father's Son, he can add proficient author to his long list of artistic achievements.
As part of the City Arts & Lectures Series, Alan Cumming will be in conversation with author Armistead Maupin at the Nourse Theatre on Mon., Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Go to cityarts.net.