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Sarah Honeysett
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Severe Discomfort (Social Insecurity Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Sarah Honeysett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 40 ratings
Lyn Walker could be your neighbour...

Loyal, long-suffering wife. Proud and protective mother. Doting and dutiful grandmother.

…And benefit cheat.

Called to an Interview under Caution at ‘the Social’, Lyn needs the best possible advice. But husband Terry insists it’s ‘all a stupid mistake’ and that he just needs to give them a piece of his mind…

Struggling on half of their previous income, owing tens of thousands of pounds and with the prospect of worse to come, how can the Walkers hide their shame from their family and their neighbours?

And are they really guilty of fraud at all?

Hilary Carrington and her colleagues at the Solent Welfare Rights Project don’t think so and will use all of their experience and ingenuity to fight the Walkers’ cases, despite precarious funding, a spiralling workload and other, more personal, distractions…

There’s family strife, humour and romance in this legal drama for our Age of Austerity as we follow an unremarkable middle-aged couple on a journey through a nightmare year, and look inside the unfashionable, unglamorous, tea-swilling world of an independent welfare rights advice project with its eccentric workforce, peeling paintwork, second-hand furniture and eternal optimism.
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  1. Book 1 of 10
    Social Insecurity
  2. Print length
    274 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    2 April 2013
  6. File size
    1.5 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Shop this series

 See full series
There are 10 books in this series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00C69HMRM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Completelynovel.com
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 2 April 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 10 ‏ : ‎ Social Insecurity
  • Customer reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

About the author

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Sarah Honeysett

Sarah Honeysett

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Sarah Honeysett was born in Southampton in 1963 and attended Sheffield University in the early 1980s, where she studied Ancient and Medieval History and discovered politics and advice work. After working in Welfare Rights and Housing for twenty-five years, she took voluntary redundancy from Stoke-on-Trent Citizens' Advice Bureau in 2011 - to study horticulture and set up as a gardener - but the wet summer of 2012 kept her indoors and the result was her first novel 'Severe Discomfort', about a disabled couple unjustly accused of benefit fraud.

Sarah has now returned to Stoke CAB in a part-time training role, but she keeps writing and has pledged the profits from sales of both 'Severe Discomfort' and its sequel, 'Continual Supervision', to that organisation.

Sarah blogs about her books and why she writes what she writes, on her 'Benefits, Books and Biscuits' blog, http://benebook.blogspot.co.uk/

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
40 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Littlegreendragon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait to read more.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I have read every one of Sarah's books to date. They are fantastic. Sarah has a real talent for drawing you in, so much so that you feel you really know the people in her books and are rooting for them. I am at the moment suffering from Sarah Honeysett withdrawal. Please bring another book out soon.
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  • Mark Dykes
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well observed and true to life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Well observed and true to life on many levels: the flawed nature of the claimants and their advocates; the arbitrariness of the benefits system and of the tribunals and courts that are meant to keep it fair; the vulnerability of advice projects and small businesses to the economic climate; and the details of life in general. The writing never got in the way of the story, even though Sarah managed to smuggle a surprising amount of benefit detail into the narrative...
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dilys Arnold
    1.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like this, but....
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 June 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I really wanted to like this book, as I have had many years’ experience working with jobseekers, claimants, adjudication, appeals etc. I am sure the author wanted to convey a realistic version of what can go wrong, how things go wrong, and the interminable workings of a very complex, and sometimes very unfair UK benefit system.
    However, I felt that her political views got in the way of her storytelling; her writing style was patchy to say the least, a few passages were well written, and flowed well. Having said that, I found most of the book was clunky, badly written, with some spelling and punctuation errors, and worst of all I found her habit of putting many words into inverted commas extremely irritating as it interrupted a smooth reading process. This book could have done with a thorough proofread and edit.
    I wanted to like the unfortunate couple, Lyn and Terry, but found it very difficult – this itself is not a criticism of the writer, but a compliment, as I think she hit the nail on the head with these two.
    This book was free, as is the second in the series, which I have just downloaded, as I would like to know how things go with the appeal and the court case. I really hope this book is a better read, and the author has managed to get someone to copy edit this properly.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Little Nell
    4.0 out of 5 stars I wasn't sure that I would like this book but gave it a try because it ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I wasn't sure that I would like this book but gave it a try because it was free. I absolutely loved it and as soon as I finished it I bought the next one in the series "Continual Supervision" which I am currently enjoying. No doubt I'll be buying the next one too!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Steve
    5.0 out of 5 stars dated but truthful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Yes it is dated, but this narrative does show the hurdles and ever shifting ground that has to be negotiated by genuinely ill and disabled people and, the traps that lay in readiness to ruin what lives they have.
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  • Roger John CRISP
    2.0 out of 5 stars just couldn't into it, seemed a bit muddled up ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2015
    Verified Purchase
    just couldn't into it,seemed a bit muddled up.
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  • Desi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and informative.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Had to read from beginning to end. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommended. A good read for anybody. So true to life and very informative.
    One person found this helpful
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  • sue
    2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 August 2015
    Verified Purchase
    so sad eye opening
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Elle Draper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Don't believe the Daily Mail!
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 April 2016
    Verified Purchase
    From the moment I read the foreword, I knew I was going to enjoy this book - if only because my political views seem to be closely aligned with the author's.

    I loved how all the characters built - and encouraged the reader not to take things at face value.

    A really enjoyable read which I would encourage everyone to pick up. It's not a heavy read, but it does make you think while also giving an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at the DWP.

    Highly recommended.
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