主播大秀

Leicestershire GP Andrew Sharp has been exploring his creative side by publishing his debut novel.

'Ghosts of Eden' tells the story of two men, from two very different backgrounds united by a common experience - their love for the same woman.

The novel is set in Uganda - where Andrew grew up and has fond childhood memories of.

Chris Baxter and Andrew Sharp

Listen: The Book Doctor

主播大秀 Leicester's Chris Baxter spoke to Andrew about his influences for the book...

Andrew was brought up in 1960s Uganda, "a very dramatic landscape", by his parents who both worked at a mission hospital.

At the age of six he was sent off by train to boarding school in Kenya.

He describes it as "wonderful" and peaceful time for Uganda before politics changes and Idi Amin came to power.

After this time a number of the Ugandan Asians expelled from the country settled in Leicester:

"I meet them now and I feel this bond with them, and I tell them I'm also a Ugandan and we have a good chat about it."

A Ugandan woman

Fact and Fiction

Michael, one of the book's protagonist, on paper has a very similar life experience. However Andrew says that it is not strictly an autobiographical piece and he was very careful not to writer about real people.

The book tries to portray the world of the boarding school, the mission hospital and Uganda as a whole from an inside perspective.

Andrew was interested in exploring the movement from childhood into adulthood, and also the huge transition very traditional societies have to make to become involved in the modern world.

Being a doctor there is also a theme of the native diviners versus the new world medicine of hospitals and pills.

In real life Andrew has found that writing and medicine are very different professions.

In his day job he rapidly moves between a number of different activities, whereas in author mode he has time to immerse himself in his own imagination and let his creative juices flow.

"I'll just be pleased if some people find they've had an enjoyable read and I've taken them to somewhere they have not been before.

"Or maybe they're Ugandan Asian and they're taken back to Uganda and it reminds them of places they've visited and the scenarios they were in."

Andrew's already started his next novel set in Zimbabwe where he also has many family ties.

Meanwhile he continues to be a Wigston GP where he has modestly avoided advertising his book:

"I was a little worried patients would feel they have to buy the book before they see me, but perhaps if they take a book and they don't like it they can take a signed copy to the chemist and I'm sure the chemist will give them a prescription!"