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Eric Is Awake
Shortly after midnight on the 21st January 1950, the man known to his readers as George Orwell and to his new bride Sonia, as Eric Arthur Blair, breathes his last in a small side ward of the University College Hospital. Beside his bed, his bags are packed for a trip to Switzerland. He is alone and afraid. Shortly after midnight on the 21st January 20--, in a country with 4.2 million CCTV devices - one for every 14 people in the country, a security camera captures a homeless tramp with a high forehead and thin moustache, dying of hypothermia in an alley beside an Islington pub on a snowy winter night. As his dying breath vaporizes in the freezing air, he grows cold. The warm vapour of his final exhalation travels upwards to dissipate in the atmosphere, but instead, coalesces and descends again to the cold blue lips of the man lying in the alley. He takes a breath and the tramp’s body warms as a new occupant moves in. Eric is awake.
292 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2013
2 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Dom Shaw
1 book4 followersDom Shaw began his media career at 21 by winning the Grierson Award for Best Documentary in 1982 for co-directing the seminal post-punk documentary ‘Rough Cut & Ready Dubbed’. After a few years directing music documentaries for the fledgling Channel 4, he started scriptwriting for television. In a varied career behind the camera, he has written for peak time series on the BBC and ITV networks in the UK. ‘Eric is Awake’ is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 23, 2013
Eric Blair lies dying in a London hospital in 1950. On the London streets, in a not too distant future, H Lewis Allways lies down in an alley to sleep, his friend Pedro beside him. Eric wakes but not in his hospital bed. Beside him is a large black dog and the anxious face of Pedro. Eric is awake. But where?
Harringay author Dom Shaw’s first novel Eric is Awake weaves the biography of George Orwell in the last 5 years of his life, as he battles with illness, the loss of his wife and his own demons and the future in which Eric Blair, now a homeless man with no valid ID is quickly arrested, sectioned and then finds himself living on JSA in a hostel in Hackney.
As the issue of his true identity starts to attract unwelcome attention, he heads off on a road trip, becoming an integral part of a movement intent on resisting a future State that watches and collects data on its people; a people who appear to have fallen asleep over their mobile devices and TVs. Told from various viewpoints in the form of diaries,blog posts and a column in the Haringey and Hackney Advertiser, Eric tries to come to terms with both his past and ask questions of this alien new world.
Shaw’s novel is also a passionate political wake up call as he portrays a UK forged from the policies and actions of the British governments of the early 21st century. A world of cameras and armed border control and state controlled media.
Although the book explores some profound ideas about the citizen’s relationship with the State, it is an exciting and quick moving read with lots of comic moments and wit. Shaw is an experienced television writer and filmmaker and this first novel is full of energy. Orwell fans will enjoy the many references to his works but it isn’t necessary to be familiar with them (there’s even an aside in the book to the effect that everyone *thinks* they know Orwell’s work
Harringay author Dom Shaw’s first novel Eric is Awake weaves the biography of George Orwell in the last 5 years of his life, as he battles with illness, the loss of his wife and his own demons and the future in which Eric Blair, now a homeless man with no valid ID is quickly arrested, sectioned and then finds himself living on JSA in a hostel in Hackney.
As the issue of his true identity starts to attract unwelcome attention, he heads off on a road trip, becoming an integral part of a movement intent on resisting a future State that watches and collects data on its people; a people who appear to have fallen asleep over their mobile devices and TVs. Told from various viewpoints in the form of diaries,blog posts and a column in the Haringey and Hackney Advertiser, Eric tries to come to terms with both his past and ask questions of this alien new world.
Shaw’s novel is also a passionate political wake up call as he portrays a UK forged from the policies and actions of the British governments of the early 21st century. A world of cameras and armed border control and state controlled media.
Although the book explores some profound ideas about the citizen’s relationship with the State, it is an exciting and quick moving read with lots of comic moments and wit. Shaw is an experienced television writer and filmmaker and this first novel is full of energy. Orwell fans will enjoy the many references to his works but it isn’t necessary to be familiar with them (there’s even an aside in the book to the effect that everyone *thinks* they know Orwell’s work
March 19, 2014
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Dystopian junkie, and that it all started with a love for Orwell's 1984, and, subsequently, Animal Farm, so when I saw Eric is Awake by Dom Shaw on Goodreads, and saw Orwell's profile and piercing, sardonic gaze from the cover, I had to be part of the read and review for it, and I am so glad I took the chance with this literary Dystopian ficiton.
Firstly, the cover for this book is vibrant and appealing and captured my interest right away. I am happy to say that the content is even more appealing. The layout for the book is so compelling and well researched. The Orwellian journals, the articles with recipes for impoverished and creative foodies, the running narrative, and even the flashes of police reports might have made for a confusing read, if it wasn't so expertly plotted. As it is, I flew through the pages, with rarely a snag, and a growing sense of foreboding, curiosity, mystery and discomfort.
Indeed, Shaw understands how to craft discomfort with humor and human folly so well, that it is no surprise for me to find out that he has been (under a different name) a bestselling co-author. His language is precision, his story is moving, intriguing and hits uncomfortably close to home, even for a U.S. born reader (the author writes about U.K. related events, but ones that readers of many nations will have no trouble relating to).
This book is highly political in tone, but is, at the same time, aware of the limited views of radicals and conservatives, alike. The book plays upon the sometimes ridiculous ways in which revolutions can occur. It is a novel about human mishaps merged with power grabs merged with lust merged with technology. A novel about how these things bring about the best and worst in different people.
As Eric, the protagonist, struggles with his identity, and even his name (how will he be hailed when he doesn't know, for sure, himself), we readers struggle with our identities, the ways in which we create ourselves and spend our times in this modern age. In the space of this book, the human story does not seem so different from the story told generations ago by authors wondering about humanity, technology and politics.
This is a literary novel, yes. It is a smart, thinking person's novel, sure, but it is also wildly entertaining, much like the novels by Orwell himself. You cannot go wrong picking this book up, but be prepared to think, and be open to re-reading it several times, as I surely will be. This book could easily have been taught in one of my college classes, and since I'm a college teacher, it very well may be in the near future.
Thank you, Dom Shaw, for your wonderful, intelligent, aware book. Publishers, instead of kicking yourself for not reading or passing on this gem, please follow the links below and do yourselves a favor. He is too good to pass up. Take it from an avid reader.
*read and review book*
Firstly, the cover for this book is vibrant and appealing and captured my interest right away. I am happy to say that the content is even more appealing. The layout for the book is so compelling and well researched. The Orwellian journals, the articles with recipes for impoverished and creative foodies, the running narrative, and even the flashes of police reports might have made for a confusing read, if it wasn't so expertly plotted. As it is, I flew through the pages, with rarely a snag, and a growing sense of foreboding, curiosity, mystery and discomfort.
Indeed, Shaw understands how to craft discomfort with humor and human folly so well, that it is no surprise for me to find out that he has been (under a different name) a bestselling co-author. His language is precision, his story is moving, intriguing and hits uncomfortably close to home, even for a U.S. born reader (the author writes about U.K. related events, but ones that readers of many nations will have no trouble relating to).
This book is highly political in tone, but is, at the same time, aware of the limited views of radicals and conservatives, alike. The book plays upon the sometimes ridiculous ways in which revolutions can occur. It is a novel about human mishaps merged with power grabs merged with lust merged with technology. A novel about how these things bring about the best and worst in different people.
As Eric, the protagonist, struggles with his identity, and even his name (how will he be hailed when he doesn't know, for sure, himself), we readers struggle with our identities, the ways in which we create ourselves and spend our times in this modern age. In the space of this book, the human story does not seem so different from the story told generations ago by authors wondering about humanity, technology and politics.
This is a literary novel, yes. It is a smart, thinking person's novel, sure, but it is also wildly entertaining, much like the novels by Orwell himself. You cannot go wrong picking this book up, but be prepared to think, and be open to re-reading it several times, as I surely will be. This book could easily have been taught in one of my college classes, and since I'm a college teacher, it very well may be in the near future.
Thank you, Dom Shaw, for your wonderful, intelligent, aware book. Publishers, instead of kicking yourself for not reading or passing on this gem, please follow the links below and do yourselves a favor. He is too good to pass up. Take it from an avid reader.
*read and review book*
March 14, 2014
As one man dies, another lives. Nothing special about that you might think, it happens all the time.
But not when time separates the two men and one of them happens to be George Orwell, aka Eric Arthur Blair.
Written in two threads, one a diary from Orwell's old life and an interesting blog from his new one, past and present separated by different fonts, but unnecessary in my view as the characters clearly tell you where they are.
Dom Shaw has a surprisingly strong and powerful writing voice and style, considering this is his first novel. I was expecting a story that a novice might write, full of promise of what could come later, but I was surprised by the sheer strength of his writing skill. Surely Dom Shaw has been writing fiction for years?
Far from being a depressing tale of another downtrodden world, acknowledged by the very person who envisaged it, this uncomfortable story makes you think and appreciate the subtle differences.
If you have ever wondered what a man like Orwell would make of our world, this book answers so many questions, but leaves you in no doubt that he would be at home here, for it is possibly how he imagined it would be.
From time to time you have to remind yourself that this was not written by Orwell himself, so strong and familiar is the voice in this book. It could very well be the proof that reincarnation or something very similar is at work here and I am more than glad I read it.
anonpresspublishing@gmail.com
www.ericisawake.com
But not when time separates the two men and one of them happens to be George Orwell, aka Eric Arthur Blair.
Written in two threads, one a diary from Orwell's old life and an interesting blog from his new one, past and present separated by different fonts, but unnecessary in my view as the characters clearly tell you where they are.
Dom Shaw has a surprisingly strong and powerful writing voice and style, considering this is his first novel. I was expecting a story that a novice might write, full of promise of what could come later, but I was surprised by the sheer strength of his writing skill. Surely Dom Shaw has been writing fiction for years?
Far from being a depressing tale of another downtrodden world, acknowledged by the very person who envisaged it, this uncomfortable story makes you think and appreciate the subtle differences.
If you have ever wondered what a man like Orwell would make of our world, this book answers so many questions, but leaves you in no doubt that he would be at home here, for it is possibly how he imagined it would be.
From time to time you have to remind yourself that this was not written by Orwell himself, so strong and familiar is the voice in this book. It could very well be the proof that reincarnation or something very similar is at work here and I am more than glad I read it.
anonpresspublishing@gmail.com
www.ericisawake.com
April 16, 2014
I was going to hate this book. I was sure of it. Orwell was a mentor: his books were on the school reading list and I read his essays as a teenager - his politics helped form my own. And I not only lived as an adult in the Islington Dom Shaw describes, but I was born in those streets. I just knew he was going to get the voice and the place wrong. I would be able to catch him out.
He didn't and I couldn't.
Shaw has captured both the studied simplicity of Orwell's writing style and the London that hasn't quite arrived, but is a shadow's width from the one we know.
I found this book compelling, thought provoking and uncomfortable - this was Orwell: what else could I expect? And the arguments developed within the narrative are as relevant to what is happening now as the Russell Brand debate about voting. It also happens to be a very good read. Just like Orwell.
He didn't and I couldn't.
Shaw has captured both the studied simplicity of Orwell's writing style and the London that hasn't quite arrived, but is a shadow's width from the one we know.
I found this book compelling, thought provoking and uncomfortable - this was Orwell: what else could I expect? And the arguments developed within the narrative are as relevant to what is happening now as the Russell Brand debate about voting. It also happens to be a very good read. Just like Orwell.
March 21, 2014
https://www.desirablereads.blogspot.com
*I was given a free copy by the author for an honest review*
Eric is awake is basically POV of Eric Arthur Blair AKA George Orwell in a dystopian society. Eric died in his bed in 1950 only to wake up and find himself not just in a in a different era but a different body Somewhere in 21st century UK citizens are under government scrutiny 24/7 via MC devices.Fortunately he finds a good doctor and slowly comes in terms with the new world. I got as far as 100 pages before I decided this book was not for me. The book is actually good sadly it was not my type hence 3 stars instead of one. Recommended for history and philosophy buffs and of course the George Orwell fans.
*I was given a free copy by the author for an honest review*
Eric is awake is basically POV of Eric Arthur Blair AKA George Orwell in a dystopian society. Eric died in his bed in 1950 only to wake up and find himself not just in a in a different era but a different body Somewhere in 21st century UK citizens are under government scrutiny 24/7 via MC devices.Fortunately he finds a good doctor and slowly comes in terms with the new world. I got as far as 100 pages before I decided this book was not for me. The book is actually good sadly it was not my type hence 3 stars instead of one. Recommended for history and philosophy buffs and of course the George Orwell fans.
March 19, 2014
'Eric is Awake' is an intelligent, well paced book with a realistic dialogue and striking characters. Dom Shaw surely did his research on both the life of Orwell and the author's voice/style. This reads as though it is the work of a well known, veteran author. I would place the category as Historical Literary Fiction, but it certainly has a fantasy/sci-fi feel to it, as well. The dystopian nature of the book is balanced perfectly with human folly, relations, and humor. I am so happy to have received a copy of this book for "read and review," but now I'm going to have to buy it. I feel I would be cheating the author if I did not. Thank you, Dom Shaw for your wonderful contribution to literature.
June 16, 2014
Eric is Awake is a masterful story that keeps you guessing throughout the entire book. This is a book unlike anything that I have read before.
There are plot twists and surprising moments throughout the book. I think it shows the stark differences between present day and 60 years ago. There are flashbacks in the past and bringing us back to the present. Also there are issues of identity and feeling out of place which we can all relate to in one way or another.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants there mind expanded. Hold on to a roller coaster ride of a book! I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads first reads program.
There are plot twists and surprising moments throughout the book. I think it shows the stark differences between present day and 60 years ago. There are flashbacks in the past and bringing us back to the present. Also there are issues of identity and feeling out of place which we can all relate to in one way or another.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants there mind expanded. Hold on to a roller coaster ride of a book! I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads first reads program.
January 26, 2014
A very enjoyable book. Put it on your reading list.
January 28, 2015
Delightful. Of course, you would need to be an Orwell fan to enjoy it - but are there any thoughtful readers who aren't?
April 7, 2014
Written in a clear way but the whole story didn't impress me at all.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews