The Ground Remembers

"The Ground Remembers" is a dark, suburban myth about love, jealousy, shame and the things we cannot throw away. When Helen Murray disappeared on her eighteenth birthday ten years ago, most on the Avenue blamed Edwin and Phillip. Edwin stayed and numbed himself. Phillip ran as far as he could. On the morning of this tenth anniversary however, Edwin makes a remarkable discovery and with a letter in his hand, and dirt still fresh beneath his fingernails sets out on a journey to find Phillip and the truth. As Edwin hunts down Philip, his quarry sits and drinks at the same pub seat he has for the last ten years fully aware that Edwin is coming for him. But as both men get closer to their combined fate, new understanding presents itself through the remembering of the stories Helen used to tell before she disappeared - stories of boys who grew roses in their chests and fish that ate children - and the sharing of these and their own story with the people around them. For Phillip, it is the regulars of his local pub; for Edwin, an ex-boxer called Tiger who becomes his guide. At the same time, those who cast accusatory glances at the boys all those years ago on the Avenue also find surprises in their letter boxes, missives pointing them to a skip that has turned up outside Helen's old house and a chance at their own redemption.

About the Author :
Matthew David Scott was born in 1978 in north Manchester and grew up in the area. He left Manchester in 1997 to read English Literature and Philosophy at Sheffield University and after graduating has lived in Edinburgh, and Cardiff, before settling in Newport, South Wales. First and foremost Matthew is a novelist; his debut novel 'Playing Mercy' was published by Parthian Books in May 2005 and has been optioned by 11:22 Entertainment for whom Matthew is in the process of adapting the novel for the screen. It was also listed as one of the fourteen works vying for the 2006 EDS Dylan Thomas Prize, an international prize for writers under thirty and the world's richest literary prize. Matthew has also had many short stories commissioned for the likes of The Big Issue and two stories for anthologies of short fiction inspired by the music of The Fall and The Smiths respectively. He was also recently asked contribute to Social Disease's 'The Flash' anthology with all profits going to Amnesty International. His second novel 'The Ground Remembers' is finished and due for publication by Parthian Books in 2008. Matthew was recently invited to become a full member of Acedmi, The Welsh Academy for his contribution to Welsh Literature and has recently received a bursary from Academi to work on his third novel. Matthew is also a regular guest on the BBC Radio Wales Current Affairs show 'Something Else' and contributes to Welsh men's magazine RedHanded for whom he is the restaurant reviewer.