Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Eric Is Awake: Harringay author's new novel sees Orwell alive and well and writing for a Haringey newspaper

Eric Blair lies dying in a London hospital in 1950. On the London streets, in a not too distant future, H Lewis Allways lies down in an alley to sleep, his friend Pedro beside him. Eric wakes but not in his hospital bed. Beside him is a large black dog and the anxious face of Pedro. Eric is awake. But where?

Harringay author Dom Shaw’s first novel Eric is Awake weaves the biography of George Orwell in the last 5 years of his life, as he battles with illness, the loss of his wife and his own demons and the future in which Eric Blair, now a homeless man with no valid ID is quickly arrested, sectioned and then finds himself living on JSA in a hostel in Hackney.

As the issue of his true identity starts to attract unwelcome attention, he heads off on a road trip, becoming an integral part of a movement intent on resisting a future State that watches and collects data on its people; a people who appear to have fallen asleep over their mobile devices and TVs. Told from various viewpoints in the form of diaries,blog posts and a column in the Haringey and Hackney Advertiser, Eric tries to come to terms with both his past and ask questions of this alien new world.

Shaw’s novel is also a passionate political wake up call as he portrays a UK forged from the policies and actions of the British governments of the early 21st century. A world of cameras and armed border control and state controlled media.

Although the book explores some profound ideas about the citizen’s relationship with the State, it is an exciting and quick moving read with lots of comic moments and wit. Shaw is an experienced television writer and filmmaker and this first novel is full of energy. Orwell fans will enjoy the many references to his works but it isn’t necessary to be familiar with them (there’s even an aside in the book to the effect that everyone *thinks* they know Orwell’s work but few people actually do) to enjoy the book.

Dom’s book, Eric is Awake, is out now, published by Anonymous Press, and available in print from your local bookseller. There is a also a Kindle edition.

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Permalink Reply by Domshaw on August 11, 2013 at 14:22

Tomorrow, for one day only, the kindle version of 'Eric is Awake' is free to download. Remember you can download a Kindle app for Ipad, mobile, laptop or PC and read it without a Kindle device. Please take advantage and download, read and review on Amazon. Really helps to get reviews and draw attention. 12th August is Free Eric Day.

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