In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon play language games to pass the time, occasionally revealing the thin separation between survival and despair: ‘Come on, Gogo, return the ball, can’t you, once in a way?’1 Although Beckett’s characters are a fiction, they reveal the narrative instinct which is an intrinsic part of the human condition. One chance meeting at a local hostel while I worked as a curate in South West England focused a wish to explore more fully the nature of what is meant by storytelling or narrative within the context of belief in the Christian Trinity. The original experience described below limited this exploration to the stories told by those who live on the margins of our society, and especially the stories of homeless people.
My thanks in terms of the original research go firstly to my three supervisors in the Theology Department of Exeter University who saw me through a long-haul project towards a PhD: to Ian Markham who started me off, to Harriet Harris who cajoled and persuaded me that it was worthwhile, and to Tim Gorringe who had the major task of reading and criticising first drafts, middle drafts and final drafts. Thanks too to those in the School of Education who provided moral support, especially Liz Wood and William Richardson; latterly also to Susannah Cornwall who reawakened my interest in the combination of theology and homelessness at such an opportune moment, and introduced me to Contextual Bible Study.
I am particularly grateful to those who provided me with an entry-point to projects in the South West: to all the staff at The Victory, Aubyn Close and St Piran’s (all pseudonyms) and in particular to Maureen Castle, Adrian Willcocks and Dave Denham (all very real). Also to Fr. Sam Philpott, Vicar of St Peter’s Plymouth, who taught me to open my eyes. St Luke’s Foundation Trust enabled me to take study-leave, without which this thesis would never have been completed.
The production of this book would not have been possible without the assistance of my editor Sarah Lloyd and the wonderful support of Russell Cargill.
Above all, thanks go to all those women and men who spent time with me telling the stories of their lives. Some are named here, others contributed indirectly through impression and insight. I hope I have done your stories justice.
1 Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (London: Faber and Faber, 1965), p. 12.