Exeter and Torquay locals share life-changing stories in new book

A new book promising readers a whirlwind tour of the bizarre, brutal and sometimes bizarrely hilarious side of human experience features jaw-dropping real-life stories – including two from people based in Exeter and Torquay.

It’s A Mad Bad Funny And Sad (And Very Dangerous) World We Live In, written by Adam Gleeson and published by Claire Harding Books, is a collection of extraordinary true tales told by ordinary people. From run-ins with giant snakes to unimaginable grief, it spans the emotional spectrum with no subject off-limits.

Among the hard-hitting stories are:

• A man who woke up mid-slumber to find an 18ft python trying to swallow him alive.

• A child forced to deal with the trauma of discovering his father’s suicide.

• A family man spiralling into hidden depression despite outward success.

• The grotesque reality of Mexico’s drug cartels.

• The woman whose dogs howled moments before her husband died in a car crash.

• The parent who carried out brutal revenge after his child was harmed.

Two of the book’s contributors are from Exeter and Torquay, opening up about the long-lasting impacts of mental illness, grief and how they’ve navigated the darkest chapters of their lives.

One Torquay-based man recounts his personal experience with depression and the sense of worthlessness that haunted him despite a seemingly successful life. Another local contributor shares a shocking story of Cancer Research UK turning down a donation on the grounds of "image" – sparking questions about the priorities of big-name charities.

It’s not all heavy, though – the book also includes moments of hilarity, like the man who claims he slipped (nude) onto a cucumber while making a salad. That one might make even the most poker-faced A&E receptionist crack a smile.

From revenge to resilience, absurd wealth to absurd excuses, the book delivers the full emotional rollercoaster.

It’s A Mad Bad Funny And Sad (And Very Dangerous) World We Live In is available in paperback and Kindle via Amazon.