Fledgling

Cumbrian author

Available to pre-order

Josh is discussing his book with fellow Cumbrian author Shaun Wilson in Cakes & Ale Cafe, Carlisle on the 2nd of October. Tickets available here. Signed copies will be available to order after this event

Stuart is raised on a nature reserve in Cumbria; his family is poor. Stuart is sensitive – endlessly bullied in school, he believes in magic and feels more comfortable taking dance class than playing football. Stuart grows up straddling two worlds, becoming the first in his family to go to university.

His father, an ex-con, is quick to throw a punch, and won’t eat anything in public ‘more flamboyant than a ploughman’s’ in case someone would take him for a ‘nancy-boy’. An avid birdwatcher, he has found peace in his new life as a caretaker for a nature reserve. When his father is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Stuart grapples with grief as he tries to become the man he thinks his father would want him to be.

Interwoven in the narrative are snippets of British wildlife, particularly the birds that captivate Stuart and his father, and reflect the bond they share. The writing is surprising, hilarious, and devastating. This is a story about grief, about masculinity, about the love of a parent and what remains when they’re gone.

This pre-order title will be shipped after the publication date shown. If you are ordering other books alongside this title, the entire order will be shipped at the same time. If you wish to receive the other books sooner, please place them on a separate order.