A NOVEL FOR LOCKDOWN

One of the hardest things about writing a novel, I find, is describing it in a few short sentences.  With Covid 19 this is particularly hard. It seems such a frivolous waste of time to be writing fiction in a pandemic.

I didn’t realise when I started writing my present novel in 2019 how apposite it would turn out to be in 2020. Its underlying theme is the balance of power in relationships, and imprisonment of various kinds, in life, work and love. This theme echoes the effects of the virus.

Covid 19 has come along and taken us by surprise. Its immediate effect around the world has been, and will continue to be, tragic. But its lasting effect may turn out to be good rather than bad. There may be a re-balancing of power in the relationship between the poor and the rich, and the underdeveloped and developed regions of the world. Humanity may pay greater respect to, and take greater care of, the natural world we depend on. The virus, in its containment measures, has caused a kind of imprisonment in life, work and love. But it has also brought joy and happiness, companionship and emotional proximity.

It seems heartless to be writing fiction at such a time. But I bet there are thousands doing it. Judging by the flood of inventive and clever videos on YouTube, created by talented people usually employed outside the home, I expect there will be an increased flood of novels hunting for agents and publishers. Very few people don’t believe that they have a novel within them. They’ve heard it often enough. The men will be bashing out science fiction and thrillers; the women, romance. They will be thrilled with the completion of their work and expect fame and fortune pretty well at once.  Some will self-publish. A few will find publishers. There will be readers who will be entertained, whose minds will be stimulated. Does creative work add to the world’s well-being? Yes, it does, as much for its providers as for its recipients.

So here’s the blurb for my just-completed novel ELFRIDA NEXT DOOR:

Taking coercive control to its limits, Nicolas keeps his wife in a hermit’s cell in the ruins of a priory at the bottom of his garden. Rachel, his new neighbour, becomes interested in the legend of Elfrida, the cell’s first occupant. This leads her into danger and gives Nicolas a new problem to solve.  The balance of power in relationships, and imprisonment of various kinds in life, love and work, provide the underlying themes of this light, dark novel. Or is it a dark, light novel.