Across The Humpty Dumpty Field
- Andy Bracken
- Feb 1, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
His father’s funeral compels ‘Digger’ to return to the small English town in which he grew up. At 48, he reconnects with old neighbourhood acquaintances, and realises that there is a lot more to the community than he ever gave it credit for.
That knowledge forces him to reexamine the reasons that led to him leaving in pursuit of a different life elsewhere. What if the past 30 years of his life were based on a false assumption? What if the fifteen million minutes that have lapsed during his absence have all been wasted? Digger’s return opens doors to long discarded emotions and events that threaten to profoundly change the rest of his life.
Author Notes
Music and literature: I view them synonymously. For me, one has always informed the other. I discovered Albert Camus because of The Fall and The Cure, as an example. Throughout my early books, music references are plentiful. Some are obvious, some less so. In ‘Humpty’, I upped the usage.
Music evocatively sets time and mood.
I wanted to pen a homecoming book, as I’ve always been drawn to that. Whether it be in literature (Hardy’s ‘The Return Of The Native’ etc.), or films and television. ‘Flashbacks Of A Fool’, starring Daniel Craig, is a fine example. The urge probably stems from my having moved away. Taking different paths in life is inevitably going to force one to consider where other options may have led.
‘Humpty’ was a book I attempted to write a number of times over several years, but always felt it wasn’t quite coming together, so stopped. It needed something that, perhaps, I wasn’t mature enough to capture as an author. Come late-2017, early-2018, I tried again. Even then, more than any other book, it needed bringing into line, as it were. My wife helped hugely with that! I sensed it was important in terms of my advancement.
For me, this is the book where things came together. The geography of Brakeshire was established. A map was even drawn! Moreover, I began to find my own distinctive style. My writing became more mature, I think. Characters were less stated, and more illustrative.
A palpable tension exists, as the two main characters, Digger and Elle, don’t actually re-meet until about two-thirds of the way through the story. Digger, incidentally, is a nod to Diggory Venn from the aforementioned ‘Return Of The Native’. Not sure I’ve ever told anybody that!
I could, aptly, wax lyrical about this novel, but shall resist.
As a writer and on a personal level, it’s an important book for me. An essential piece of work. And it would act as a gateway, leading me to pen seven novels in under three years.
Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Superb
"This was the first novel I read by this author, and it was relatable, heartwarming, and heartbreaking all in one. I won't go into details, but I have delved into the back catalogue and read every new publication since, and none have disappointed. Always human, always heart on sleeve, always a bit too close to the bone so I actually find myself wondering if the author has trawled my personal experience. I can't recommend this and the rest of the author's novels enough. Take a chance, buy this, love it, then buy the rest. You won't be disappointed."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Heartfelt, heartbreaking and joyous
"This is the first book I’ve read of Andy's, but on this showing it won’t be the last. I laughed, I cried, I went into deep thought, as some of the parallels seemed to be biographical. I couldn’t put it down. The musical references; both the obscure and the obvious had me reaching for YouTube to relisten to lyrics, to make sense of the references. I can’t recommend this book highly enough; the first novel I’ve read in a while and it relit my passion for reading. Thanks Andy!"
Comments