Phil Harrison

In 2012 in Belfast, Samuel Orr, a married pastor meets Anna, a young Beckett scholar, and falls in love. The affair they embark on is passionate and intense, and has violent and shocking consequences. As Samuel's actions reverberate through the generations, Samuel's sons - from his marriage and his new relationship - briefly grow up together, until another act of violence fractures the family further. It isn't until decades later, in New York, that the brothers must finally face each other - and answer the questions that have cast shadows over both of their lives.

The First Day

Set in Ireland and New York, a debut novel about an affair and its explosive consequences--the sins of the father visited on the son in unexpected and irreversible ways.

"Outside an East Belfast mission hall, pastor and family man Samuel Orr meets Anna, a young Beckett scholar. They embark on an intense, passionate affair, their connection both intellectual and erotic. When Anna becomes pregnant, the affair is revealed. The repercussions are slow to emerge but inescapable, and the fallout, when it finally comes, is shocking. More than thirty years later, Sam, their son, is in New York, living a steady, guarded life, his childhood and family safely abandoned. But when the past once more crashes into his life, he is forced to confront the fears he has kept close all these years."--

You can tell a lot about British society by its television. More than any other country, Britain still gets a sense of itself from the output of its national broadcasters. So what can we learn from the TV of the last two decades? Beginning in 2000, this book explores the televisual contours of Britain, via five themed chapters, taking in (among others) Big Brother, The Great British Bake Off, The Thick of It, The Apprentice, This Is England, Detectorists, Killing Eve and Fleabag. Over this period, Britain has become more divided and fractious, as populist politics began to inform the national conversation. What did Jamie’s School Dinners tell us about our perceptions of the working classes? What does our love of Downton Abbey say about the national psyche under duress? And how did Top Gear help to ignite Britain’s culture wars? In this lively and wide-ranging account of twenty tumultuous years, The Age of Static asks how we got here – and the role television played in the process.

How TV Explains Modern Britain

The Age of Static

Outside an east Belfast mission hall, pastor and family man Samuel Orr meets Anna, a young Beckett scholar. They embark on an intense love affair, their connection fuelled by their respective passions. When Anna falls pregnant, the affair is revealed. The repercussions are slow to emerge but inescapable, and the fallout is shocking, cruel and violent. More than thirty years later Sam, their son, is in New York, living a steady, guarded life, his childhood and family safely abandoned. But the sins of the fathers are not to be so easily buried; the past crashes inevitably into the present, and Sam is forced to confront the fears he has kept close for decades.

Phil Harrison

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