A Saddleworth author is enjoying early success with his novel after seeing a story inspired by real-life events finally make its way into readers’ hands.
Mike Rooke’s Go, Going, Gone: A Tale of Two Countries is now available, following an earlier feature in the Saddleworth Independent ahead of its publication.
The novel, which brings together the west of Ireland and Mossley, follows two young Englishmen whose planned adventure in Ireland during the late 1960s becomes a life-changing experience.
Former school friends Simon Cooper and Ian Bradshaw head west in the summer of 1967, where they meet Joe Pierce, a pub singer and seaweed factory worker caring for his eight children and an elderly relative after his wife leaves for England.
Their experiences expose them to a very different way of life, with the story exploring poverty, family relationships, religion and the influence of the Catholic Church, alongside humour and what Mike describes as plenty of “good craic.”
The book also has a strong local connection, with parts of the story set in Mossley and references to familiar locations including the canal, library and New Earth Street.
Mike, a former head of drama at Mossley Hollins High School, previously told the Independent that choosing Mossley was significant because of the town’s historic connections with Irish families.
He said: “A lot of Irish people moved to Mossley over the years, and of course Catholicism is quite strong now – or certainly lingering.
“There’s still that feature in Mossley, and I was well aware of that when I chose to transpose that part of the story.”
The novel has been many years in the making, with Mike developing and revisiting the story over several decades.
He previously described the journey taken by its central characters as a major culture shock.
“What was planned as a hippy-type holiday becomes not quite a nightmare, but a culture shock,” he said.
“It completely transforms the lives of these two public school boys and their friends, and transforms the entire family.”
For Mike, the finished novel is also a celebration of the people and culture which inspired it.
He added: “Apart from being a good story full of social and cultural issues, this book is a cultural celebration of the west of Ireland and its people.”
With the book now published, Mike is enjoying the response from readers as a project developed over many years reaches a new audience.
Go, Going, Gone: A Tale of Two Countries is out now.
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