Book Week: Luke Palmer

To end Book Week, Luke Palmer, author of the Carnegie-longlisted novel Grow, worked with students in Years 9 to Upper Sixth. Secondary school teacher by day and author by night, it was Luke’s Year 9 students, angered by Brexit, that inspired him to write Grow: “I wanted to write a book which addressed that anger; that explored the difficulties of coming of age against a backdrop of increasing animosity and xenophobia towards elements of our society, of toxic ideologies that try to breed and harness that anger, and of competing models of how to be a good citizen.”

Reflecting on his school days, Luke recalled a boy named Alex with whom he bonded in class over similar tastes in music and competing undercuts. Many years later, Luke was to discover that Alex had joined a neo-Nazi organisation. “How had the path of his life taken him to such extremism?” Luke asked the group. Grow’s protagonist, Josh, similarly prompts such questions.

Excited to participate in the author talk on her return to the Park, was Old Leightonian, Catherine Martinez. “To what extent do you condone and condemn the characters?” she perplexed.

“It’s a really tough balancing act” replied Luke. “I wanted to create an honest character who is controlled and coerced… My main question to readers is ‘Do you still like Josh by the end of the book? If not, when does he become unforgiveable?”

Luke continued to describe the connection between reading and empathy: “I think the most important thing about reading is the act of seeing things from other people’s perspectives… Rather than inhabiting the protagonist, I think we allow the protagonist to inhabit our bodies. I think that’s amazing.”

After listening to Dean earlier in the week, it was interesting to hear Luke’s similar concern that his work wouldn’t be received in the way he intended it and the reality that much more is written than will ever end up in the final edit.

Thanking students for their attentiveness and wonderful questions, Luke concluded his talk with many students keen to take home a signed copy of his novel.

Part 2/2 – Read the best of the rest from Book Week, including Author, Dear Atta