A Lost Anchor

by Jon Stuart

1974 was a year of memorable events, from Watergate, the IRA bombing campaign in England and through to the disappearance of Lord Lucan. However, for Paul Haines it appeared far worse, or was it a wake up call for his future?The A Lost Anchor is a moving and personal tale that strikes at the heart of the events and social attitudes of the mid seventies. Surrounded by the music of that time Paul struggles with the realities of everything that could go wrong with a thirty-something young-man, with a good job, and a pebble-dashed semi in Surrey.The story starts with misunderstandings, a bored wife starting to work with a partner who is not all they seem, and then the related circumstances that take Paul into the uncharted waters of an impending divorce. All this rocks his life through the strange scenarios of a missing child, secret IRA connections, inept police and then, to cap it all, possible redundancy caused by the strain of British industry to keep up to date.For Paul the tension and responsibilities of a busy job, combined with the sexual stirring from a dull marriage, take him on this sixteen week roller coaster ride through a gambit of events that prove to be some of the worst things that could happen to a person living in, or what could be described as in, a normal family life.Set in Guildford the story follows Paul, and his few friends, in the shadow of the music and events of the autumn of 1974, particularly the undercurrents of the IRA bombings, and touches on many of the issues of the day that affected those living in these changing times. All this, and an accidental link to the 1974 IRA bombing campaign, assured his world was torn in half, and repaired, in only a few short weeks,Was his wife having an affair with another woman?Who’s to blame for the missing child?Who instigated him being locked out of his house?What was the real reason for the marriage breakdown?Were the police, solicitors, courts and social services really working for him or to maintain conformity with historic and archaic practices?Was the IRA only just related to few extremists?And finally, was his life really repaired? Did he really want normality?

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2012