Rankin: It’s so hard not seeing son
NOVELIST Ian Rankin has said not being able to hug his son during the coronavirus pandemic has been “heartbreaking”.
The crime writer’s youngest son Kit has Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities.
Rankin told how the 26-year-old is shielding in a facility where he has been unable to be close to visitors since the start of March.
The Rebus author, who was speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival online, said: “We not been able to sit with him on a sofa and hug him and touch him since the beginning of March.
“His birthday was in July and it had to be done at a distance. He doesn’t understand at all, and he’s got no concept of two dimensions, so screens don’t mean anything to him.
“The idea of doing FaceTime doesn’t work for him so it has been devastating.
“The staff can give him a hug. The staff, who are amazing, are there 24/7 and they give him hugs.
“Of course we are (desperate to hug him). He doesn’t even get to sit with the other people in his facility.
“They are all in their individual bedrooms and they’re not allowed to mix with each other. It’s really heartbreaking.”
Rankin said the measures were necessary to protect his son and others with serious conditions from Covid-19.
He said: “They were the first into lockdown and they’ll be the last out. But he’s coping fine. He’s coping with it better than we are.”
Rankin took part in the live event after topping the book charts with Westwind, a book first published in 1990 that was published again after a reader told him it was better than he remembered.