Syndrome

Sligo author’s book addresses Chronic Fatigue

A Sligo author has wrote about his experiences of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in his latest book ‘Be Do Go Have’.

Writer and language teacher Lorcan McNamee is set to launch his second novel later this month.

McNamee told The Sligo Champion that the idea for the novel came about through his love and study of languages. He teaches English and Spanish locally.

“Everyday you’re teaching verbs and that’s the centre of any language.

“I was reading a linguistics book one day and it said the verbs ‘ be, ‘do’, ‘go’ and ‘ have’ are the most common verbs in every language.”

He added that language scientists believe these words are the centre of every verb.

“I thought if these are the core verbs of every language then there’s a story behind them.”

Thinking of characters connected to each verb, McNamee soon had the basis for his novel. While writing one character, who suffers from ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the author used some of his own experiences in dealing with the condition.

“At the moment I’m well and I’m writing a lot and active, but for ten or 15 years I had this condition called ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It’s a difficult condition to live with and it can cause digestive problems and allergies and sleep problems,” he explained.

The character in the book struggles with daily tasks such as showering and dressing herself, such are the symptoms.

McNamee admits he had ten or 12 ‘difficult years’ but has improved a lot making progress with the condition.

Addressing the subject of his condition and its feature in his second book, the author said he had previously ‘avoided writing about it’.

“I just didn’t want to think about it. I was living with it every day, I didn’t want to be writing about it as well. Writing was always an escape from living with the condition, but now that I’m feeling a bit better and had a bit of distance from it I’ve been able to write about it.”

Is this a way of raising awareness? “It wasn’t my intention, but it probably does that. It felt like it was a good story and an interesting character, but if somebody reads it they will learn something from it about the struggles living with it.”

Other characters of the book linked to verbs include a property tycoon who is obsessed with having money and a travel writer who cannot sit still.

The book is a follow up to McNamee’s debut ‘A Year in Lisbon’ which was put on to university curriculum in Lisbon for a number of years.

His latest work will be launched in Liber Books on February 20 th next at 6pm, along with a launch at the Yeats Building on February 28th at 7.30pm.

Available on kindle, the book has already garnered a positive response with one review stating, “A recommendation for anyone interested in meditation, ME/ CFS, modern Ireland, or just some good new literary fiction.”