Letters from the Upside
From Carnegie Medal-winning author Katya Balens comes this emotionally rich story of a boy’s life-transforming friendship with an elderly neighbour and his pigeons. Con’s dad has left, leaving him consumed by grief and guilt which he struggles to express except as violent anger. Con’s outbursts hurt and alienate friends and teachers, and worry his hard-working, long-suffering mother, but he seems powerless against their force.
When Con is suspended from school for breaking another boy’s nose, life feels bleak, lonely and claustrophobic, trapped in the tower block that is his home. That is, until his neighbour Mr Williams lets him into the secret world at the top of his building – a world Mr Williams calls ‘The Upside,’ where there is space to move, and air to breathe, where flowers are lovingly tended by another neighbour and, crucially, where Con meets Mr Williams’s homing pigeons.
Con has never thought about pigeons before but these beautiful creatures, with their iridescent feathers and gymnastic flying style are magical. Their grace and beauty open up something Con has not felt for a long time – ‘That swooping joy’. And as he finds out more about the birds’ history in carrying messages, he wonders if they can help him to find the father who’s abandoned him … But the world is cruel as well as beautiful and Con must face some devastating truths before the satisfying ending.
This is a haunting story of hope and redemption, and the unexpected places where we find friendship. The first person, present-tense narrative makes us inhabit Con’s world very intensely. The contrast between the harsh urban environment and the freedom and flight of The Upside are beautifully done. Another impressive, deeply emotive read from a wonderful author.
