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The Supreme Lie

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It is ironic reading this when it has been raining a while and our river is flooded, plus with a virus spreading and the mis-handling of that as well as a four-year negotiation fiasco by the Government, I felt a lot of empathy with the people of Praesto as their city slowly is submerged by rising floodwater. Normally, if I'm going to set a novel somewhere I've never been, I'll research the flora and fauna, geography, traditions, history, beliefs ... But here, for the first time I was writing about somewhere imaginary, so I was free, as I went along, to invent everything about Afalia. Great fun. I can recommend inventing places. I did draw myself a map to begin with, but it had to shimmy a bit, to accommodate the plot!

Fifteen-year-old Gloria is maid to Afalia's tyrannical Head of State, Madame Suprema. When the country is hit by unprecedented flooding, Madame Suprema runs away, fearing she will be blamed for the crisis. To cover up this cowardly act, Gloria is made to step into Madame Suprema's shoes and is thrust into a world of corrupt and desperate politicians. As Gloria becomes aware of the forces toying with her every move, she must take decisions that could save, or end, thousands of lives - including her own... About This Edition ISBN: In essence, the country's leader 'does a bunk' when unprecedented floods bring chaos to a region. To hide the leader's cowardice, her husband hatches a plot to pretend the leader is still present by dressing up the 15 year old maid, Gloria. As you can imagine, the situation gets pretty fraught. It's quite Shakespearean - think Twelfth Night" or "Measure for Measure." David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. I suppose I'll be out and about, talking about my book, but it's become a strange thought. Going places? What, further than Tesco? Won't I fall over the edge of the planet or be carried off by giant eagles?

A few chapters in, I had a sudden fantasy that the whole setting might be an extended metaphor for the coronavirus pandemic. It was published in 2021, so there was a chance this was a feasible suggestion. But then I realised that the magical thing about a tale such as this is that it can be applied to many different political situations, in many different governments, at many different times. Because at its heart, this book is a commentary on government corruption, and is a warning about the danger of lies in politics. As such, I believe that my pandemic metaphor is certainly a viable reading of this novel. It could also be about the climate crisis. Or both, or neither. For the purposes of this article, I will keep it general. I took up writing as a child, for the fun of it,' says Geraldine, 'to go somewhere else and be someone other than me. It's still my chief pleasure, and the thing I want children to get from my books. If writing ever became more laborious than that, then I don't think anyone would enjoy reading what I wrote.'

There are some dark themes and moments in the novel; how do you keep it hopeful, and even funny at times, despite this?

About Geraldine Mccaughrean

Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex Entertainment! Escapism! No life lessons, no virtuous moral. If, later, events in the real world now and then remind them of a book they once read, that would be just wonderful. 'Escapism' always sounds, somehow, like a bad thing - a 'cop-out'. But escaping the here-and-now is sometimes just what everyone needs. And it's cheaper than booking a holiday. The Supreme Lie is set in a land devastated by flooding and is a powerful story about courage, power and propaganda. We asked award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean tells us more about her latest novel: Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. This book defies a simple explanation. Just when Gloria was thinking a solution was obvious, the consequences were pointed out to her and each decision became more and more convoluted as she tied herself up in knots trying to do the right thing.

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