The Idea, Concept and Emergence of the setting of Garden Heights

When watching a movie we very much share the creative vision of the director. Our experience as viewers (although some will it enjoy more than others) is universal, tapered only by the skills of the cast and crew, with all script interpretation already done prior to our enjoyment. The novel, in essence, is a very different beast. A cerebral partnership between author and reader, and one I have always loved because of this.

When reading fiction we expect the characters to be made up, created (more or less) from the imagination of the author, but outside of fantasy or science-fiction we almost always find the locations that events take place to be firmly rooted, past or present, in the real world where we all live and breathe. And why not? With travel to most corners of the world more accessible than ever before, and research inherently easier, with industrial amounts of digital information available at our fingertips, authors have never had it so good. This is something I pondered extensively before beginning work on my debut novel The Elephant Tree in 2008. The reason for my deliberation was that the Transgressive novels I loved set in the UK were very different from the ones set in the US. There were common themes shared by both, but the geographical backdrop affected the way the stories had to be told; cultural and language barriers that could isolate and alienate certain readers. I wanted the reader to be free of preconceptions entering into this world, than say, if the book was set in LA or London or Paris or New York. How many of us have been passionately vocal with our opinions after seeing a favourite novel adapted to the big screen because it varied so wildly from our own interpretation? It was an extension of this effect I wished to create.

With this decided, even though I realised it was a huge gamble, writing commenced, and the setting of the city of Garden Heights spilled out onto the page as a ready formed concept. Purposely withholding what country Garden Heights was in and what the unit of currency was I wanted to leave enough fluid room for the imagination of the reader to pour into the gaps creating as unique an experience for them as it was for me, but the mood, the feel, the very essence of the place was set, along with the seedy and desperate characters, and the acts they seemed eager to commit with little encouragement from me. Some of it proved to be abhorrent and lawless, but at the very heart of the city, and in many of the characters, I found endearing elements of hope and decency, and although sometimes misguided, an overall sense of morality. So I fell in love with Garden Heights and its varied inhabitants, but what would the readers think?

I began writing while serving a prison sentence for cannabis cultivation in 2008. Prison is an awful place, but even during those dark days surrounded by many dark souls I discovered an unlikely core of humanity. This experience no doubt influenced and permeated through my writing and probably always will. Because of the style, content and setting of Garden Heights I expected and braced myself for a 50/50 love / hate mixed opinion in reader reviews, but to my surprise and delight the ratio was way more favourable. There was also a response I hadn’t anticipated. I received emails from readers from various locations in the UK, US, Canada and Australia expressing how glad they were to see that The Elephant Tree had been set in their home town and asking when I had visited there. Obviously this wasn’t my intention and I had never even been to most of these places, but I was most intrigued to discover that by omitting certain specifics, while creating an environment that was both familiar and relatable, readers were subconsciously filling in the blanks with what was closest and most applicable to them. This was completely unintentional (I wish I was smart enough to have pre-empted this response) nevertheless it far exceeded the scope of my original idea. It also cemented in my mind my thus far unspoken desire to continue to explore the streets and characters of Garden Heights in further novels.

Each book occurs in its own self-contained literary sphere, meaning you can pick and choose your own order of enjoying the Garden Heights instalments. However, certain characters and plot lines may become prevalent between books, providing links both thematic and narrative, leading you, the unsuspecting reader, down darker roads, closer toward the heart of Garden Heights.

One thing to note for the sceptics: I don’t guarantee a happy ending. I don’t promise that the good guys will live happily ever after and the bad guys will get their come-uppance in the end. Sometimes it might not even be obvious which are the good guys and bad guys. I think that uncertainty is an inherent part of life and any outcome that has an inevitability of positive resolve is a hollow victory. My favourite books have always been those that mirror this philosophy, and the classics of years gone by certainly did. The craving we have, or at least or told we have, these days for a happy “Hollywood” ending has, I believe, diminished the impact of so many otherwise well written books. I know this is not a popularly held opinion, and it has gained me short shrift from a few critics over the years, but let’s face it, I’m not doing this to get rich, so far better to stick to something I believe in than become just another soul with a price tag.

That’s enough for now, but if even some of what I’ve said resonates with you, then I think we’re going to get along just fine.


Richard.