‘Norfolk Boy’ - A boy’s journey from 1800s Newmarket to Australia

Author Dennis Roberts grew up in Newmarket, so it seems fitting that his first novel, Norfolk Boy, a work of historical fiction, follows a young boy gifted with horse-handling skills.

Set in the 1800s, Norfolk Boy takes the reader on a harrowing journey filled with resilience and bravery.

Dennis’ novel is inspired by his connections to the Norfolk Brecks and Newmarket, as well as his fascination with this particular period in history.

“I’ve got a love of travelling and history,” explains Dennis, who now lives in Bury St Edmunds, “and when I was travelling a few years ago out in Australia, I visited the penal colony at Port Arthur in Tasmania.

“There was an entry in the records there, and it struck me how young some of the convicts that we sent from England to Australia actually were.

“There was a separate ‘boys’ island’, which was quite unusual, and then it started to evolve from there, using the fact that I grew up in Newmarket, my father was in the racing industry all of his life, and then some of the other side of the family came from Norfolk.

“I just had an idea which became Norfolk Boy.”

Born in the Norfolk Brecks, the book’s 12-year-old protagonist Isaac follows generations of his family into service, working at the stables of Warren Hall.

Inheriting his late father’s gift with horses an unpleasant incident turns in his favour, an opportunity he could never have imagined opening before him.

Leaving his beloved Brecks and family, Isaac travels to Newmarket with the hope of becoming a jockey.

On the verge of achieving his dreams, he meets the mysterious Jack, an encounter that will change his life forever.

Accused of a terrible crime, Isaac suddenly finds himself condemned to the far side of the world.

“I do have quite an obsession with Australian history and that neck of the woods, and the convict era and the emerging of a new country,” says Dennis, who himself harboured ambitions to become a flat jockey.

Sadly, they were curtailed by him being too heavy.

Dennis’ previous writing credits include short stories in the Suffolk Libraries Anthology, as well as an article in Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine.

Norfolk Boy is his debut novel, but Dennis says there may be more to come: “At the end of this story, the main character is only in his 20s, so it would lend itself to more – and those ideas are there...

“But currently, for the launch of this one, all of my time’s been taken up trying to get out there and promote it. But yes, it could lead to at least one more [novel], if not two.”

Dennis believes the book would appeal to “lovers of historical fiction, with a crime element to it”. He adds: “It probably appeals to people who like to root for an underdog…

“In terms of age group, it’s probably anything from young adult upwards, and I would say it’s aimed at people who like to pick up a book and find something that’s quite fast-paced and easy to read.”

Now retired, save for some volunteer work, Dennis’ most recent job involved working for a social enterprise that “looks after young adults with learning difficulties who are based across Suffolk”.

“I was on the management side of the organisation,” he notes.

Dennis reveals that the whole process of first having the idea for Norfolk Boy and then writing it took about five years.

Norfolk Boy was published on 28 November by Troubador.