Occupied

by Andy Luke

It's 2011 and the people of Belfast, Northern Ireland stand up to Austerity as part of a global protest movement, with camping. As they pitch their tents in the sleepy Cathedral Quarter, visitors congregate. Celebrities. Trolls. Activists with lofty ambitions. Though small in profile they give food, homes, training and social support. They become family amid the mud, snow, insomnia and paranoia, against the dying of the light.

Eoghan: Pro-active, diplomatic, tries too hard.
Leon: Idealistic rebel. Smashes the patriarchy.
Cat: Organised, over-worked & burned out.
Padraig: Demands laughs & cheesy snacks.
Bronagh: Nurturer, or tormentor?
Levin: Likes to ask questions. Suspect goatee.
Bob: Tough as nails OAP. Doesn't care for you.

529 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2021

About the author

Belfast-based author of the critically acclaimed 'Gran', 'Absence' (winner of an UnLtd Award), and 'Bottomley', which featured in the double Eisner nominated 'To End All Wars.'

I make comics, poetry, prose and film, most of which appears at the thriving community at http://patreon.com/andyluke

Reviews

[Peter Drysdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read and an honest window into the world and time of 2011. Luke presents a warts and all view of the Occupy Belfast movement as it happened, creating wonderful characters that you get to care about and retelling events you'll wish you'd seen with your own eyes. Reads like a sitcom, with a sense of humor woven into every page and a breadcrumb trail up to some very satisfying punchlines. Given that it's based on trued events, the research that must have gone into gathering all these different memories, break-ups and make-ups, is thoroughly impressive. Well worth your time.

[Seany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Occupied to be a really enjoyable read that came across as warm and very authentic. It is an important fictionalised insider's view and document of an important moment in recent history.
It begins with a few individuals deciding to join the global occupy movement by setting up tents in the town Square, and are gradually joined and supported by a myriad of people from very different backgrounds, and gradually things really take off.

Set in Belfast, it captures all the enthusiasm, optimism, cooperation, humour, aswell as the inevitable confrontations, squabbles, battling against weather conditions, infighting and fragmenting that can occur in any protest movement in any city.
Although, it is also full of very distinct colloquial humour, spirit, dialect and references - there is a glossary of these terms in the introduction for those not familiar with Northern Irish culture (and no prior knowledge is necessary).

I felt as though I really had got to know all the characters by the end of the book, and the dynamics within the camp came across as very honest and authentic. It also captures how those who do the heavy lifting in organising, coordinating and liasing with the community can become stressed, run down, on the verge of burnout and depressed. Over time, things take their toll for a couple of characters, before some others realise and have compassion and offer support.

I also liked how the characters were nuanced and a real mix of personalities, (some of whom it is mentioned in the appendix were based in part on real people).
All of the characters in some way have their flaws, just as they have their strengths (even the agent provocateur, trickster-troll and pain in the arse Padraig).
They were all very human and the interactions and dialogue is very natural, often funny, and at times very open and disarming.

My favourite character had to be Bob, the old cantankerous, prickly, tough, wry, straight-talking, socialist-leaning workhorse and pragmatist, who underneath his armour had a heart of gold. But all of the characters are interesting and fleshed-out.

Similarly, the policeman characters are treated fairly and shown to be a mixed bag, from the two beat coppers who sympathise with the protesters ( and 'unofficially' tip them off and offer help), to the little Hitler authoritarian superior and his underling, who handle situations badly with over-zealous heavy-handed tactics.

I also liked how right at the end ( without giving away spoilers) one thing is ending as another is beginning.

Overall a very engaging and accomplished work.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that struck me when reading Occupied was how well it would translate to a stage play. It’s all set (mostly) in the same location with the same characters, but the deeper I got into, the more I realised the bladder control needed to get through a stageplay version of this book was impossible. It’s a long book, but there’s nothing I think could be cut with out losing important story arcs. But then it struck me how well it would work as a sitcom, because although each chapter has its own things to say; some profound, some observational, and some just plain funny, the next chapter (almost) always resets.

But enough of what it could be, let’s explore what it is. A book set during the Occupy movement in 2011, when all over the world people were occupying empty buildings to draw attention to the Austerity problem, a small group of disparate personalities were doing their part in Belfast, occupying the Cathedral Quarter in a tent.

I found the writing exceptionally good. It flowed effortlessly, like rain off an overcrowded tent. Some of the discussions they get into are about serious matters but the author knows to drop in a joke to sugar any hard-to-swallow pills, and that humour is the highlight of the book. Andy Luke knows how to set up and execute a joke perfectly. The story moves slowly, but that’s not a criticism. This isn’t a thriller where our hero has to press the button before the clock runs out. This is a story about the endurance of a group of clashing personalities stuck together trying to do something selfless, and that’s where we want to be, because that where the best conversations happen.

This book is as informative as it is funny, even when dealing with global issues it can still make you laugh at the most improbable times. Give it a try if you fancy a laugh, and you might just learn something too.

[Andy Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of additional material online in Occupied comics, readings, soundtracks, and the author's commentaries, which I re-read this book to compose. It's stood quite well, made me laugh on a shedload of occasions, evoked relatable sympathies from my senses and pulled me in to the lives of the campers. They're a broad range: from Eoghan the thinks-too-hard activist to Padraig, the accidental just-hanging-out anarchist, and Bronagh, the unbeatable Belfast powerhouse of a woman. I'm happy with the story arcs, the weather descriptions, and how much of my life I managed to get into these pages. I haven't seen any other piece of Northern Irish literature like it and I hope you like it.