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| About the Book |
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| read an extract |
INTRO
Late in the novel, after years of ambition, conflict, loss and dislocation, Jem is forced into a moment of stillness on the Irish coast. Here, in the quiet aftermath of turbulence, he reflects on the intertwined threads of his life: Spennymoor, Leeds, the Dalmans, his family, his mistakes, and the people he has loved. For the first time, he begins to see these not as burdens or battles, but as the fabric of who he is. This turning point is quieter than the novel’s dramatic events, but no less transformative. It marks the moment Jem finally looks forward, not back.
The layers that are my life – Spennymoor, Leeds, the Dalmans, Poole Pictures, Cara. They’re not separate from me, they’re a part of me. I’ve been fighting to distance myself from everything, but it’s impossible. All this time I’ve tried to remain independent, but what good has it done? I’ve tried to outmanoeuvre my competitors. Push William and Stanley away. Shut Cara off. I see it now: Clive was a child, desperate to please his wonderful, brilliant father, to get one over on me. But this isn’t about Clive. None of this was ever about Clive.
The sun is breaking through the
clouds, its light forming a faint rainbow on the horizon. That morning in
Spennymoor, when the ice-frosted window magicked those same colours onto the
shabby yellowed wall – he knew he must make each day different, until one day
he’d have an answer. From the breeze of the ocean, he hears her again – Cara’s voice, gentle but
firm – ‘keep looking forward’.
He turns his back on the stack
and the sea, and returns to the cottage.
The door is still open. As Jem
walks past the front room, he hears Harry directing his cousins in a scene from
his favourite movie. The kitchen is empty. From the window, he sees a woman’s
silhouette in the garden, her solitary figure among a field of tall grass,
patches of taller clumps gathered in front of her. He moves to the back door
and is about to join her, but stops himself. A cooing sound is coming from a
box on the table. He peers inside and finds the baby, lying quietly, watching.
The tiny face gives nothing away – it’s impossible to tell, one way or another.
He picks him up, rocking him
gently, and walks to where Shonagh is standing. The wetland expands before
them, the grass flutters in the light breeze, and pockets of blue sky push away
the clouds.
‘Daniel,’ says Shonagh. ‘Cara
wanted him to be called Daniel.’
He looks at the baby and smiles.
‘Daniel.’
‘You need to take care of your
children now,’ says Shonagh. ‘You owe it to Cara.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry
for your own loss.’
‘I’ll be fine. I’m no worse off
than when I started in this world.’
‘But I don’t understand. What
happened to the de Burgh family? To Ballysakeery? How did you end up here?’
Shonagh frowns. ‘How do you
mean?’
‘I thought your de Burgh
ancestors came from a long line of gentry. What happened?’
‘I don’t know what Cara told you,
but as far as I know, our family name has always been Burke.’
‘And the house?’
‘We used to visit a second cousin in the summer months in Ballysakeery, if that’s what you’re talking about. I remember it was a large house, but run-down. No-one had any money to maintain it. Cara always dreamed of doing it up. She had a good eye for things like that.
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| The story of the events that led to The Battle of Hastings in 1066 Harold the King (UK edition) I Am The Chosen King (US edition) AND 1066 Turned Upside Down an anthology of 'What If'' 1066 tales  |
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