Writing the ‘now’ in Northern Ireland
For some reason so far, my novel writing tends to focus on a real context and timeframe. Perhaps that’s something subconscious in me wanting to chew through events and respond to them creatively. Or maybe it’s a way of capturing a story of where we are at. Guard Your Heart was very much inspired by the Decade of Centenaries and the 100th anniversaries of the Somme and the Easter Rising in 2016. Truth Be Told is framed around a real timeframe in autumn 2019.
From January 2017 to January 2020, the regional government in Northern Ireland (Stormont, Belfast) collapsed. Politicians did not meet together there to make practical and policy decisions about everyday things such as health, jobs, justice, environment and education. They also failed to take decisions about more controversial issues, including abortion, same-sex marriage, Irish language rights and legacy issues from ‘the Troubles’, such as pensions for victims and survivors. In what other democracy would that honestly be seen as ‘OK’ or ‘normal’? For many ordinary people, it felt like no-one cared. Tara reflects on this and what it means to her family in places in Truth Be Told. The fallout from the Brexit vote also had a significant destabilising impact here on the peace process. It felt like there was plenty in that context to reflect on in writing.
Faith’s story is impacted by some other issues. In autumn 2019, the British government (Westminster, London) intervened. It said that if local politicians couldn’t form a government to sort things out, it would impose Human Rights legislation to decriminalize abortion and move to legalize same-sex marriage. In October 2019, this happened. Various scenes in Truth Be Told reflect this. In January 2020, Northern Irish politicians eventually reached a ‘New Decade, New Approach’ deal and got back to work – just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
In June 2021, a ‘Troubles’ pension scheme finally opened, 23 years after the end of ‘the Troubles’. In July 2021, the British government announced plans to bring forward legislation to ban ‘Troubles-related’ prosecutions. People who suffered in ‘the Troubles’ may never get their day in court. Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have been very critical of this. So have victims’ groups. Would it seem OK in Great Britain if serious crimes including murder were automatically dismissed from courts just because they happened over 25 years ago? This legislation is still on the table at Westminster and is causing a lot of concern in Northern Ireland – but it’s rarely mentioned in national news. There’s something in there again about telling only the stories that ‘fit’.
It really encourages me today when young adult readers in Northern Ireland (and wider afield) find my writing ‘authentic’ – like a validation or expression of the time they live in. I think everyone deserves to be able to find and read books in which they see themselves reflected in some way. From my own perspective, writing about post-peace deal Northern Ireland as YA fiction is back to that mantra ‘write what you know.’ I like writing the ‘now’ – it feels like it’s what I know best. There are plenty of other writers who are far better than me at writing fiction set in the Troubles or historical fiction. And there are also other Northern Irish writers who are writing totally different topics. Just because a writer is from Northern Ireland or sets a novel in the north of Ireland doesn’t mean it has to be connected to the Troubles or their legacy. It just so happens that I’m a peace worker. The diversity and complexity of now, that mulling over issues and imprinting them into fiction to make people think and reflect is what I love.