Maggie Allder returns with a new novel set in the future where the new normal may not be all it seems…
Daisy lives happily in a care home with twelve other children, sheltered from a dangerous world of sickness and war. As everything finally returns to normal, she and her friends begin to explore the city beyond the Water Meadows where she has grown up. But while there are exciting new experiences, there are also people who are quick to take advantage of naive teenagers, to exploit them for their own financial gain. They are both cunning and ruthless, and it isn’t long before Daisy and her friends find themselves threatened by them.
Not only that, there is something mysterious about Daisy’s friend, Sophie, a comparatively recent arrival to the care home. Why will she never speak about her time before she arrived at Xunzi House? Why, when everyone else seems to be spreading their wings and enjoying their new freedoms, does Sophie seem to withdraw more and more? And why does she seem to be afraid of the world out beyond the Water Meadows? Is she, perhaps, right to be fearful – and if so, what does that mean for Daisy and her friends? For years the world has been a dangerous place, but at last the country is getting back to normal – or is it?
“This book explores issues which are of particular interest to Quakers at present, and probably to a number of other faith groups too,” Winchester resident, Maggie says. “In this novel the teenagers explore some of the ordinary business of growing up. They make new friends, they meet people who are very different from their carers, and who are guided by beliefs that are new to Daisy and her friends. It is a story with a happy ending, which nevertheless does not fudge the issues with which it deals.”
We’re all wondering what life will be like when we reach the other side of the pandemic. Will it be better than before, as we’ll all appreciate the little things more? Will it be longer than we anticipated? What will it be like? In Beyond the Water Meadows, her alternative reality set in 2040, Maggie Allder gives voice to real issues affecting everyone, and in particular Quakers, in a highly original tale.
Publication Date: 28th March 2021
ISBN: 9781800462465 Price: £9.99
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