Elianne Byrne

E. Nesbit's classic novel of The Railway Children follows the story of Roberta (Bobbie), Phyllis and Peter, three sheltered siblings who suffer a huge upheaval when their father is falsely imprisoned. The children and their mother, now penniless, are forced to move from London to rural Yorkshire into a new home next to a railway line.

Following his release from prison, Danny tries to take control of the mental health issues that have shaped his life. However, an encounter with a former flame evolves into tragic obsession. Treading Water looks with compassion and bracing realism at the lack of opportunity afforded to many people in British society. It’s a portrait of a changing city and evidence of an authentic Northern voice.