When
I wrote Simon’s Choice, I was pregnant.
It
seems an odd choice now, to write about a dying child when I had one
on the way, and there were quite a few moments when I thought I
can’t write this, I’m jinxing the life of my own children.
As
I write this particular blog-post however, my son is thriving, yet
sadly my marriage is not. I’m in the middle of a particularly
acrimonious divorce.
I
realize now, that Simon’s Choice was never about little Sarah’s
struggle with leukemia, rather Simon and his wife Melissa’s
struggle with marriage – and how a an almost pitch-perfect
relationship can suddenly fracture under the strains of the illness
of a child.
Perhaps
this is why those who have read the book very kindly insist that it
isn’t maudlin. I was writing about the anger that the parents feel,
rather than the pain. I’m beginning to suspect that I was writing
about my own anger, but veiled within a plotline that I can only hope
will never happen to me.
As
I spend most of my time arsing around on Facebook and writing what I
hope are quite funny blog posts, it took me by surprise that I chose
such a serious subject, but the book is full of dark humour and if it
is possible to laugh in such a book, I’m told you will.
About
the Author:
The
daughter of a successful novelist, Charlotte Castle considers herself
‘chronically unemployable’ and admits to being astounded that her
book has had such a positive reception.
“To
be honest, I started writing ‘Simon’s Choice’ out of a mixture
of genuine desire to explore the horror of losing a child and a fair
amount of desire to get out of mopping the kitchen floor. That people
want to read it is wonderful.”
A
school governor for her daughter’s primary school and actively
involved in her local ‘Community Action Group’, Charlotte juggles
writing with cleaning up after a man whom she says is “completely
unfamiliar with the term ‘washing basket’”, her cat and her two
children.
Simon's
Choice
Charlotte
Castle
"But
Daddy, who will live with me in heaven?"
Doctor Simon Bailey has everything a man could ever want.
Then his beautiful daughter is diagnosed with Leukemia.
He can almost accept her impending death.
He can almost accept the fact that he will have to live without her.
But he cannot stand the thought of his little girl having to face death alone.
He answers her innocent question in a moment of desperation, testing his marriage, his professional judgment and his sanity to the limit.
As cracks form in Simon's previously perfect family, we wonder, as do his loved ones ... will he really make the ultimate sacrifice?
Combining poignant moments of both humour and pain, 'Simon's Choice' is a penetrating account of parenthood at the sharp-end.
Doctor Simon Bailey has everything a man could ever want.
Then his beautiful daughter is diagnosed with Leukemia.
He can almost accept her impending death.
He can almost accept the fact that he will have to live without her.
But he cannot stand the thought of his little girl having to face death alone.
He answers her innocent question in a moment of desperation, testing his marriage, his professional judgment and his sanity to the limit.
As cracks form in Simon's previously perfect family, we wonder, as do his loved ones ... will he really make the ultimate sacrifice?
Combining poignant moments of both humour and pain, 'Simon's Choice' is a penetrating account of parenthood at the sharp-end.
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