Author Charlotte Edwardes' debut novel, "Trouble Was," plunges readers into the sweltering summer of 1976, drawing heavily on her own "feral" childhood experiences. The novel centers on a nine-year-old boy named Frank Dart, a character Edwardes created by stepping into the perspective of a boy caring for younger siblings and observing a troubled family dynamic.
Edwardes described her own childhood as one of limited parental oversight, where children were often unwashed and spent their days exploring unsupervised. These experiences, spanning the 1970s and 1980s, included activities like tending to pets, exploring abandoned cottages, swimming in rivers, and even minor acts of shoplifting. She recalled cycling home at dusk without lights and instances of close encounters with strangers.
"Trouble Was" also delves into Edwardes' early experiences with gender. Surrounded by brothers and boy cousins, she initially felt more comfortable in their company, describing their shared adventures in the woods and fields. Her interactions with girls, in contrast, often involved their disapproval of her behavior. This led to moments of asserting her identity, such as once dressing her younger brother in a dress and heels in an attempt to present him as her sister.
One incident described in the book, and recalled by her brothers, involved Edwardes shooting her brother with an air rifle after a disagreement. She also recounts being reprimanded at a convent boarding school for behavior deemed "not becoming of a girl," and a fellow student's assertion that Edwardes was a boy in disguise.
The novel's genesis was partly inspired by an anecdote from her aunt, who observed Edwardes' older brother making porridge for his younger siblings, noting his apparent familiarity with childcare. This observation sparked Edwardes' imagination, allowing her to construct the fictional world of Frank Dart and his younger siblings.
Edwardes herself noted that writing the book allowed her to explore a "sister through a boy's eye view," a form of disassociation she found profound. The novel captures a sense of childhood freedom that characterized the era, while also touching upon the complex process of understanding gender and social expectations. "Trouble Was" is published by Bloomsbury and is available for purchase.
