Patricia creates a heroine for our times

Lifestyle – ‘Mother Tongue’, the new book by Patricia Forde is the sequel to her hugely successful young adult novel, The Wordsmith. The former teacher and Galway Arts Festival director tells JUDY MURPHY how she never intended to write this book, a fast-paced thriller which deals with issues such as censorship, human rights and climate change in a hugely engaging way.

Patricia Forde began her career as a primary school teacher in Galway City, driven by imagination, creativity and huge respect for the children she was educating.

She changed direction a long time ago, firstly becoming Artistic Director of Galway Arts Festival in the early 1990s, then moving on to head up the children’s arts festival Baboró, and later again working as a writer and editor for the TV series Ros na Rún.

Now, Patricia’s creativity and innate respect for young people has found its voice in her books – no surprise given that the city-woman always wanted to be a writer.

These began in 1991 with Tír Faoi Thoinn, written as a fundraiser for Macnas. Since then, she has written many illustrated stories for younger children and in 2015, her book for young adults, The Wordsmith, was published.

That humane and bleak story is set in Ark, a future world wracked by climate change and ruled by a man who has curtailed the number of words that people can use. It struck a chord in Ireland and the UK.

Subsequently released in the US as The List, it stunned critics who couldn’t believe that someone writing in the West of Ireland before Donald Trump had been elected US President, could have been so prescient.  The abuse of language and disregard for truth that are central to the current US regime resonated with all who read The List.

Now, Mother Tongue, the sequel to The Wordsmith / The List is being launched this week. A stand-alone book in its own right, Mother Tongue draws on Irish history and mythology as it holds up a mirror to the modern world.

Patricia has written a fast-paced thriller, designed to keep young people engaged while it also delves into current social and political issues. She explores censorship, human rights, climate change and the horrific treatment of children by some Western democracies.

“Everything that’s in there is a reaction to what’s going on around us,” she says simply.

Revelations about the Tuam babies and witnessing the experience of children at the US-Mexican borders had “a huge effect” on Patricia, something that’s reflected in Mother Tongue.

“The images were very close to what my own children looked like and they’re from that part of the world,” she says of the US border. She’s referring to her two adult children, James and Rosa, who were born in Guatemala and adopted as babies by Patricia and her husband Pádraic.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.