Belonging in a Broken World by Anne Cassidy
The story in my new novel THE DROWNING DAY takes place in the year 2052. The world has been devastated by rising waters and the survivors live in a fractured and cruel society. Jade, Bates and Sansom are three twelve years–olds who are struggling to survive in the Wetlands; another flood threatens and they must make their way to North-Hampton to seek refuge behind the dykes.
Writers of children’s books usually have the task of ‘getting rid’ of the parents when they write a story. This is in order to give the characters ‘freedom’ to move around and make their own decisions. In my dystopian world (set in East Anglia) ‘Most of the groups who lived by the Great Sea were the dreg ends of families’. Jade has just lost her granddaddy and is alone in the world. She is determined, though, to carry out her granddaddy’s dying wish. This means trusting people, allowing herself to be cared for, caring for others. Jade, Bates and Samson, take risks to protect each other. In the absence of their loved ones these children seek out others for support and comfort. They look for a surrogate family and in this story they find it.
In our world Children, as they grow older, take steps beyond their families. This usually involves making friends, often a tricky and complex thing to manage, easier for some than others. The love that families give is unconditional. With friends it is not; it has to be earned, valued and cherished. I can remember as an only child trying to find a ‘best friend’, being heartbroken when they let me down. In the end, after some pain, I was able to negotiate the pitfalls and find a place among my peers. Caring for people outside the immediate family is probably the most difficult thing that children can do. In 2052, where family life for these children is destroyed, this is the only thing they can do.
The characters in my story face great danger and possibly ‘a most merciful death’ if they are caught. Nonetheless they are fierce about protecting each other. They stick together. These strong emotions are not particular to 2052 and my dystopian world, they are age-old and make us the human beings that we are.
When I first planned this book I intended to write an ‘adventure’ story set in the future. It became more than that. The characters had a quest of sorts but most importantly they had the task of finding each other.
The Drowning Day by Anne Cassidy is published by UCLan Publishing.