I’m a sixty-six year old woman writing about the Required to Die Act 2041. By the time it comes in I would be eighty-three years old and Surplus to Requirements.

I was a lot younger when that phrase was first used about me. Working one minute and the next the recipient of an unfortunate email that told me I was dismissed. I am not the first to be ‘let go’ of course. But I did need to re-invent myself, discover a new purpose and identity. Already a writer of non fiction and a blogger, I decided to write my first novel.

It goes like this…

'A cruelty has begun, corrupting communities and taking many lives. In England in 2050, society is set on culling its older, disabled and unwanted citizens. The Old’un, seventy-nine years old, faces a choice. She can take the regime-provided dose and accept she is surplus to requirements or go on the run? If she runs, where to, who can she trust, and what can she take with her?

This is a tale of the enduring power stories have to help us put one foot in front of the other, resist and make new friends in the most desperate of circumstances. It is also the story of the people of the North, saints in all but name, who give their lives for the sake of others and go into exile to safeguard the hope that will one day set the people free.'

The book is about what sort of world we want to live in. Will we forge ahead with our spurious ideas about controlled deaths or will assisted living gain the upper hand. Instead of how to end it we might focus on what folks need to thrive at all stages of their lives, giving dignity and meaning to the most vulnerable rather than charitable handouts and bare benefits.

The main character of my novel is a seventy-nine year old woman who has a limited future. The question of whether or not she should embrace the death that is mapped out for her or act for her own liberation seems timely. I am a woman born in the 1950s and know what it is to have my state pension whipped away with little notice. It makes the scenario in which Right to Die becomes Required to Die all too feasible. It’s only one more step after all.

Accompanied by people of all ages and abilities this older woman makes her way across the North of England, a place that has become my adopted home. Its rich history punctuates the pages of the book where saints pop up to instigate the struggle for justice and children show courage and integrity more than many adults seem to possess.

As I’ve said, this is my first novel, so expect surprises and some naivety. I’d no idea what I was taking on when I set out to write this. In fact, I’d say I’d more idea of what to expect when I walked the End to End in 2019, than I did when writing my first novel. However, Longdendale Press is pleased to announce the publication of Surplus to Requirements, coming soon….