NEWS COPY – WITH PICTURES
A Leicester GP who penned a critically acclaimed novel based around his childhood in East Africa is off on a new safari next month – a UK book tour.
Andrew Sharp, 53, will visit five cities in four months to promote his “gripping and beautifully written” debut novel, The Ghosts of Eden.
Set in the sub-Saharan wilds of Uganda, the “moving and evocative” story follows the fortunes of two boys growing up in the dying days of the British Empire.
Since it was published in May, the book has proved popular both in Britain and overseas.
Now its creator is set to embark on a British tour to give readings and sign copies.
The married father-of-three, a family practitioner at South Wigston Health Centre, in Leicester, said venues will include London, Cambridge, Oxford and Cork in Ireland.
But he revealed the first leg of his tour will begin closer to home at Waterstones Bookshop in Leicester, next month.
Mr Sharp, also a surgeon who has an operating list at Leicester Royal Infirmary, said the publication of The Ghosts of Eden was a long time coming.
He said: “I spent my childhood in Uganda and Kenya before moving to England at the age of 13.
“It was during this time that my love for English literature and, specifically, writing fiction, was born.
“Though I chose a different career path in medicine, I always hoped to make more time for writing.
“So when I decided to sit down and write my first novel, East Africa was the obvious setting.
“Seeing it in print is a thrilling feeling. I’m now looking forward to meeting readers on this book tour.”
Set in the 1950s and 80s, against the backdrop of a dramatic African landscape, The Ghosts of Eden tells the story of Michael and Zachye, two very different youngsters.
Michael is the son of white missionaries, while Zachye, a Ugandan native, and his brother Stanley tend their father’s cattle and dream of increasing the size of their herds.
Described as a “stunningly haunting debut”, the 384-page novel follows the children into adulthood in a tale of “loss and infatuation”
The book has proved popular with reviewers since its publication.
Critics said it was as “enchanting”
Mr Sharp was also likened to Ben Okri, the Nigerian novelist who won the 1991 Booker Prize for The Famished Road.
The online reviewer Farm Lane Books said: “I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read about African culture, without battling with symbolism or the endless horrors of war.
“It is a beautifully written story, and I think it has just become my favourite book with an African setting.”
Mr Sharp, a GP for the past 22 years, returned to Uganda in the 1980s on a medical secondment.
His own father and grandfather were also doctors and worked in East Africa in a number of ‘bush’ hospitals for many years.
He is already plotting his second novel and recently travelled to Zimbabwe – the birthplace of his wife – on a fortnight’s research trip.
But despite the success of The Ghosts of Eden, he remains modest about his achievements.
“Writing has been a lifelong passion and the fact that The Ghosts of Eden has been so well received is wonderful. I’m indebted to my readers.”
Mr Sharp will be at Waterstones Bookshop in Leicester on Saturday December 5 at 2pm.
The Ghosts of Eden is available from Amazon online priced £8, bookshops, or through Picnic Publishing at www.picnic-publishing.co.uk (01273 722865).
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
* Andrew Sharp is available for media interviews. He can be contacted via Picnic Publishing on 01273 722865.
