It all began with a prompt:
Write the book you want to read.
by Sue Barnard
I’ve always loved the story of Romeo and Juliet, but have always wished that it didn’t end so tragically. The book I’ve always wanted to read is the version of the story which doesn’t end in a maddeningly preventable catastrophe, and gives the young lovers the happy ending they deserve.
Why, I asked myself, should there not be such a book? And the answer came straight back: Why not indeed? And if it doesn’t exist, then go ahead and write it.
The end result, two years and a lot of research later, was The Ghostly Father. I originally wrote it just for myself, because it was the ending I’ve always wanted, but when I showed the manuscript to a couple of close friends, they both said that it deserved to have a wider audience.
It’s now almost ten years since The Ghostly Father was first published by Crooked Cat Books. The book is based on a fairly simple idea: What if the story of Romeo and Juliet really happened in Renaissance Italy, but not quite in the way we think it did?
The book is a sort of part-prequel, part-sequel to the original tale, and is told from the point of view of the Friar – the eponymous “ghostly father”. The title is based on a quotation from the play; Romeo addresses Friar Lawrence as “my ghostly father”, with “ghostly” used here in the sense of “spiritual”.
It is not easy to get into the mind of a sixteenth-century Italian monk – especially one with an unusual and chequered history. I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Friar Lawrence, and have often wondered why, in Shakespeare’s play, he behaves as he does. By using a generous amount of artistic licence and giving him what I hope is an interesting and plausible backstory, I’ve tried to offer some possible answers.
First of all: Why did he become a friar in the first place?
I found the inspiration for this in a classic 19th-century Italian novel which I’d studied at university: I Promessi Sposi, by Alessandro Manzoni. This novel (which is available in English as The Betrothed) features a young woman who has fallen foul of a cruel family tradition which decrees that only the eldest son can inherit any of the family property and fortune. All the other children, male or female, are automatically destined for the cloister, whether or not they are suited to a life in holy orders. This is the fate which befalls Sebastiano Lorenzo Matteo Giovanni Battista Da Porto – the second son of a wealthy Venetian count. His family know him as Sebastiano, but during the course of the story he becomes Fra’ Lorenzo of the Order of St Francis. The idea that he would change his first name when he became a monk was suggested by my husband, and it fits in very well with the “What’s in a name?” theme from the original story.
Second question: How does he know how to use plants and herbs?
In the play, Friar Lawrence uses the phrase “so tutored by my art” in the context of describing how he came to concoct the sleeping potion which he gives to Juliet. This suggests that he has studied herb-lore in some depth. In the novel, before Lorenzo becomes a monk he spends a year as the apprentice to a local apothecary, and subsequently becomes the friary’s herbalist and infirmarian. In order to give some authenticity to the narrative, I had to study the basic principles of herb-lore, paying particular attention to which plants can be used to treat particular ailments. The first draft of the story also included details of the ingredients of a potion which the apothecary “[discreetly dispensed] to the ladies of the night, who came to him in distress after having accidentally miscounted their days”. But I subsequently deleted this information from the manuscript and it does not appear in the published version – for the simple reason that I didn’t want anybody to be tempted to try it.
I also had to find out about the everyday life of a monastic. For this, I used a combination of internet research, the Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters, and a very useful book which I bought during a visit to Vale Crucis Abbey in my native North Wales: Life in a Monastery, published by Pitkin Guides. I also received personal help from a Roman Catholic priest (Father Andrew Cole) and an Anglican nun (Sister Jean Mary, of the Community of the Holy Name). Father Cole was happy to answer any specific questions about practical issues, such as how a monk would begin and end a letter, whilst Sister Jean Mary was invaluable in showing me that monastics also have a human – indeed worldly – side. As she said to me once: “Sue, I did not come out of the womb wearing this habit. I have lived in the real world.” I remain eternally grateful to both of them.
Finally: Why was Friar Lawrence such a maverick? In particular, why was he prepared to take such great risks to help the young lovers?
To find the answer to that, you’ll need to read The Ghostly Father…
The Ghostly Father is available from Amazon in paperback, Kindle and audiobook formats.
Connect with Sue:
Amazon Author Page • Romantic Novelists Association • Goodreads
Thank you for hosting me, Cathie!
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to feature you and your wonderful novels, Sue.
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