This themed collection is set in a fictitious new town. These 'new' (some are seventy years old now) settlements present an accelerated version of certain social developments in modern Britain; to examine them is to understand what we are becoming. Today it would be possible for a person to be parachuted in blindfold to any such development and not know which part of the country they were in, nor whether they were in one of the new towns or in a more recent estate in an old town.

The first and last stories ('Neil' and 'Deborah'), first-person accounts, are linked reminiscences. A boy and girl who attended the same primary school never see each other again after the 11-plus separates them. The other stories, set in various recent decades, explore new and old cultures, and general themes of society through various narratives. In 'Another Bit Gone', an unsettling experience means a worker in a printing unit on the outskirts of the town can no longer feel free to do as he wishes in his lunch break. In 'How to Feel Stupid', a day full of small humiliations for the protagonist, who has limited access to his son, is capped by an unpleasant shock when he tries to help a victim of violence. 'Matthew (not Matt) and Andrew (not Andy)' concerns two young professionals working in the newly built science park and their awareness of their social distance from the old town inhabitants. 'First Day Out' is essentially a portrait of a young man, hard-nosed and resilient, who is very much at home in both the new and old environments of the town.

'The Same Soil' is the longest of the stories, the most contemplative and most discursive, and is the heart of the collection. The 1970s childhood and adolescence of George Court coincide with the development of his home town as a satellite settlement for London's overspill population. This period of his life is largely portrayed through his relationship with his grandparents. While he is able to take the changes in his environment in his stride, for them it is a more difficult matter. We then meet him in the early 21st century, an established academic in his chosen field of ecclesiastical architecture, returning briefly to his home town. The cemetery in which he sits while eating his packed lunch backs onto the house in which his grandparents used to live. Here is the link to the narrative that is the core of the story.

As his grandmother approached her death (when George was sixteen), she was particularly distressed to learn that there were to be no more burials in this cemetery, which had housed the coffins of her family members. Moreover, the purchase of a plot by her husband and herself was not to be honoured. Instead they would be offered an alternative site in the proposed cemetery in the new town. However, relatives, friends and officials have other ideas. The chronological sweep of the story allows several themes to be explored: dislocation; identification with place and tradition; the inevitability of miscegenation, social and geographical mobility, and change; immigration and notions of racial purity; and, less seriously, the misunderstandings to which childhood and youth are prone.

About the Author

Sean McSweeney was born in London and spent his formative years in a nearby new town, and now lives in East Anglia. He has had short stories and flash fiction published by CUT (https: //www.cutalongstory.com), and has been involved intermittently with professional theatre over the years.

For more information, events, readings and Sean's blog, go to: www.seanmcs.co.uk

For Sean's CUT publications: www.cutalongstory.com/writers/sean-mcsweeney/1129.html

Cover design: S�amus Cussen

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Pbshop.co.uk Ltd
Unit 22 Horcott Industrial Estate, Horcott Road, Fairford, GL7 4BX, United Kingdom

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Returns Policy
We ask all customers to contact us for authorisation should they wish to return their order. Orders returned without authorisation may not be credited.
If you wish to return, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order to obtain authorisation.

Returns requested beyond this time will not be authorised.

Our team will provide full instructions on how to return your order and once received our returns department will process your refund.
Please note the cost to return any...

More Information

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to PBShop.store US, Springfield Gardens, New York, U.S.A., +44 1285 712917, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping Terms

Books are shipped from our US or UK warehouses. Delivery estimates allow for delivery from either location.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	7 to 14 business days	7 to 14 business days
First item	� 0.00	� 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.