In a tradition of stories going right back to Beowulf, referenced in the book, this is a tale of stolen treasure, trickery and courage. Aidan is struggling to keep things together at home: his mother has been sectioned and his father seems almost paralysed with despair. It falls to Aidan to deliver the sacks of mail his postman father is hiding in their garden shed. So when thieves steal his bike Aidan has to go after them. It’s here that magic – old magic – intrudes into the contemporary setting. There are no portals suddenly opening, it’s not the sort of magic to bring special powers; hard to define, harder to pin down – ‘a sort of stillness that moved’ says Aidan – human lives are of no consequence to it and if Aidan emerges a hero it’s due to his own strengths. Gripping, compulsive reading, an exceptional book.
Nominated for the Carnegie Medal.Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award.Aidan needs his bike to deliver all the mail his postman dad's been hoarding since his mum was sectioned. But his bike's just been stolen.In the early morning, Aidan chases after the thieves, hellbent on getting it back. When he reaches the abandoned factory where they've stashed his bike, he has moments to grab it and escape. But he finds more than just stolen goods. There's a mysterious prisoner chained to the floor. This is the story of why Aidan goes back.Recalling Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, Why I Went Back is a dark tale of magic, myth and undelivered mail.
Gripping... A must read for all lovers of slightly fantastical urban fiction. Jonas Herriot, librarian and chair, London's Youth Libraries Group
Authentic and complex... Why I Went Back has fragments of fantasy and reality collide to bring this original tale of hope and freedom. Blog of a Bookaholic
Author
About James Clammer
James Clammer was born in Bristol and grew up in East Anglia. He has worked at many kinds of job and travelled in Central America and Asia. He now lives in Sussex, where he writes in a shed at the bottom of a cliff.
