I must remember to tell you there's a lot of remembering in the book. Remembering is a big part of human existence, both individual and communal. Forgetting is also in the mix too. In fact the thing to remember about remembering is forgetting.

Humans forget stuff. It has become a major individual concern in our society, where we imagine ageing includes a lot of forgetting. We name it dementia and fear becoming the one in three who's life will be marked by it.

Yet we all forget and it isn't a capital crime. Politicians forget to record their expenses, parents forget to care adequately for their children, cooks forget ingredients and most of all key parts of history get forgotten. Our responses to this kind of forgetting will depend on how it effects us. Most of all we don't want the kind of forgetting that has mothers forgetting how make their legendary roast (according to one contested advertisement).

Ageing is a fundamental part of life and is a major theme in the book with a main character being a 79 year old woman. Earlier comments on a draft had her as 'too able' and 'we expect her to be more like xxx (a character in the book who we learn has dementia). Not every older person has dementia. Not every younger person doesn't have dementia. Whilst it may be scary it isn't a capital crime. We don't have to kill everyone who has dementia, or leave them in a social care system that is under resourced, or.... (please fill in the gap).

Not everyone lives to an old age. There are plenty of stories on the news everyday of people who's lives have been cut short. But ageing rarely features in fiction (except the murder kind). Few stories are told of older women who walk hundreds of miles, but it is possible.

The other stories in the book are wrapped around remembering. There's a lot to remember in a island like ours in which people from all of the globe are gathered. I cannot hope to tell them all, least of all because I've not heard them all. I tell some I have heard and show how they fuel resistance and resilience. Whether we remember or not, as we age, these two things will be helpful.

In my remembered bible is the phrase: 'These three remain: faith, hope and love', but that's another story.

Janet Lees, 26th January 2025, Longdendale.