Afterword

The moment when a story presents itself is always special, so it’s no surprise to say that I remember exactly where I was when Joseph’s and Adonis’s tale first took hold of me. I was sitting in a campsite in France, on a hot late afternoon, with a friend who I love very much. Let’s say this friend was called Pete (because that was his name).

As we sat, Pete told me a story about his dad during the Second World War. Unable to fight because of poor health, his dad was part of Manchester’s home guard and had been given a very specific job. Every time the air-raid siren sounded, his dad had to pick up a rifle and run to Manchester Zoo. Once there, he had to sit outside the lion’s cage, his rifle trained on the animal. Why? Because if the bombers destroyed the cage and the lion ran free, then his dad’s mission was to shoot the animal before it went on the rampage.

That was it. That was the moment when the hair on my arms stood to attention and my brain started firing. Immediately I had questions: Did he ever have to pull the trigger? Could he have done it if necessity demanded it?

What a story! What a gift, and one that I really wanted to tackle.

I didn’t tell it straightaway, though. I carried it around with me for a long time, asking myself questions like: What would happen if the rifle ended up in the hands of angry boy instead of a responsible adult? What if it wasn’t a lion any more? What if it was a gorilla instead?

The story was never far from my mind and every time it came to the fore, I had the same reaction as the first time: goosebumps, hairs standing on end, excitement.

Then, four years ago, I stopped writing, and didn’t think I would start again. It felt too difficult. There were too many other things to sort out in my head to consider telling a story, and that left me feeling very low.

One of the greatest things I’ve learned as a writer though, is that stories, great ones, are persuasive, they get under your skin and tend to not let go of you until you tell them properly. And if there was one story that was going to start me writing again, it was this one, especially as Pete had gifted me it. So, thank you, Pete, not just for the idea, but for the twenty years of friendship and laughs and love.

I also wanted to mention here Joseph’s dyslexia, which is a strand in the book that isn’t tied off neatly, as understanding of the condition in the 1940s was not what it is today. Far from it. Having worked with many dyslexic children over the years, I’ve always been gobsmacked by the challenges they face, and the resilience they have in facing it. If dyslexia is a challenge that you are facing, or if you would like to know more about it, you’ll find information and resources here: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

Thanks so much for reading When the Sky Falls. I really hope you enjoyed it.