By Jacqueline Grima
“My name is Alistair Kingdom and I was born a ghost…”
In one of Her Majesty’s prisons, warders are suddenly astounded to discover they have gained an extra inmate. As chaos ensues, the prison is put into lockdown and the stranger escorted to a Separation and Care Unit, where, through the course of one night, he tells his story to the person he calls ‘Mr Listener’. So begins Hull writer Russ Litten’s novel, Kingdom: part prison drama, part fantasy, part ghost story.
In flashback, Alistair Kingdom wakes up one morning in a dilapidated house with no idea of who he is or how he got there. It is only when he embarks on a journey to find answers that he realises his interaction with the world, and the people in it, isn’t quite as he remembers. Alistair can see others but they can’t see him. He can move from one place to another simply by thinking. In other words, Alistair is a ghost: “I’m talking about a proper ghost here…A spirit…An invisible presence floating in the land of the living.”
On the way to finding out what happened to him, Alistair meets a variety of colourful characters, both dead and alive, and becomes particularly attached to a group of young housemates whose home provides a refuge for him. Not intent to simply be an onlooker, ghostly Alistair soon finds a way of becoming involved with, and even bettering, his friends’ lives, his interaction with them eventually leading him to answer the many questions he has about his own.
Kingdom is a gritty, urban tail of life in the city, the isolated and lost Alistair showing exactly how lonely life ‘on the outside’, with no means of communication, can be. This highly original novel, however, is also a magical tale that will surprise, sadden but, also, inspire its readers. As we join Alistair on his journey, not only around the city, but, also, towards the discovery of who he once was, we laugh and cry along with him, become attached to his friends, jeer at his enemies. Ghostly, uplifting, mysterious and different, Kingdom is certainly worth a read.
Kingdom is available now from Wrecking Ball Press and Amazon.
Featured image: Chloe Hashemi/Truck Festival Feeling a bit worried how you’ll survive the morning after a big night at Truck Festival? Thinking of writing off the day and hibernating in your tent until lunchtime? Sure, you could spend the day regretting that “one last drink”… or you could get yourself up and avoid missing some…
Featured image and gallery: Truck Festival For almost thirty years, set within the rolling fields of Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire, Truck Festival has been a cornerstone of the British festival calendar. Dubbed the ‘godfather of the UK’s small festival scene’, the festival continues to live up to that title, with a line-up packed with…
Featured image: American Football – American Football album artwork The debut album has long been treated as a baptism of fire for artists – the deciding factor that determines whether a band will ‘make it’ or not. Some debuts set the tone for what follows: Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra come to the Palace Theatre in Manchester to celebrate the release of their new album, Night Blooms. Liverpool-based Brooke Combe opens the evening with a stripped-back set alongside her guitarist, her soulful vocals instantly captivating the crowd. Blending heartfelt performances with quick-witted…
Leave a reply