Inspired by footballer Rio Ferdinand’s documentary about coping with children after the death of his wife and by seeing the positive impact of football on her own son, this is a story that Eve Ainsworth was desperate to write. The difficulty that men and boys often have in expressing emotion and talking about their feelings is well documented and can be extremely harmful to mental health and well-being and she feels that it is vital that we do all we can to change this. The main character, Alfie, a talented young footballer on the brink of being signed, loses his mum to cancer. His father withdraws into his own grief and as Alfie’s world falls apart a strange girl, Alice, fierce, unpredictable and patently deeply troubled herself, helps him cope with his loss as she battles her own problems with poverty and domestic abuse. This author has written several novels which explore real life and contemporary issues that are deeply relevant to teens such as bullying, relationships and mental health concerns but this is her most moving, accessible and empathetic yet. The writing is subtle honest and has real emotional depth and insight that will hopefully help young people of both sexes think about and articulate their emotions. Highly recommended.
When Alfie Turner loses his mum, it feels like his world is falling apart. She was the glue that held their family together and, now that she's gone, Alfie and his dad don't really know how to be a family without her. And then Alfie meets Alice. Alice is a force of nature and has her own set of problems, but at least when Alfie's with her he can forget about his. Or can he? Because no matter how hard you run, life will always catch up in the end. Despite everything holding them back, together Alfie and Alice learn two things: that friendship can help dig you out of even the blackest hole, and that it's not the falling down that matters, it's the getting back up. Enormously heartfelt and insightful, this fiercely uplifting novel is Eve Ainsworth at her best.
Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people.
Eve lives in West Sussex with her husband and two children.
