The Philosopher and the Assassin (title tbc)
Contemporary literary fiction. Below is a synopsis and review of my next book. Other titles I’m considering are: ‘The Edutainer,’ ‘Iris Tate’s Dilemma’ or more obscurely ‘You Can Philosophise at an Iceberg All You Like…’
Synopsis
Iris Tate begins a new job as Professor of Moral Philosophy, hoping to find simpatico new colleagues. Instead, she finds herself in a small clique of malcontents: Percy, the fierce Head of English, Marcel, a revolutionary history professor, and GG who likes to make her students cry with miserable music. There’s also a bitter rival in Karl, the Assistant Dean.
Repressing grief, guilt, and loss requires distraction, which comes in the form of a request for professional help from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He has an ethical dilemma, and must choose between his family, the law, and the future of humanity. Young people have most at stake, and those who are also versed in moral philosophy would be the ideal group to consult, but confidentiality is crucial.
Iris cannot resist. People assume philosophy lacks real-world implications and she’s keen to prove them wrong. When the Dean proposes the controversial concept of ‘edutainment,’ Iris devises a moral philosophy course based on a whodunnit that all assume is hypothetical – a murder in a climate assembly. A variety of characters provide an entertaining source of ethical dilemmas, and all relate to the proposed climate policies in different ways. But what the students don’t know is that the ultimate dilemma is very real, and their conclusions will have far-reaching consequences.
This is an original take on the traditional campus novel addressing broad themes of what justice means in an age of climate change.
Review
Miles Hawkley, senior editor of The Literary Studio, reproduced with permission
Having assessed this novel, I was struck first by its deft and unusual use of form to create a kaleidoscopic and deeply clever narrative. At once a commentary on the looming responsibility of the climate crisis and our ever-shrinking opportunity to enact meaningful change, and a far from conventional whodunnit, the book plays with the notion of what is moral and what is right. Complicit in the book’s central sprawling philosophical dilemma, the reader finds themselves judge, jury and executioner in the case of the century. While the novel tackles prescient and troubling themes and poses difficult questions (how far should we go for the greater good?), it does so with a sense of dry humour and a delightful eye for the absurd. Above all, the warmth and resilience of its ineffable protagonist suffuses the narrative and, as the story ends, we struggle to leave her behind. Not only is this a timely, thought-provoking and essential story in an age of urgent, innovative climate action that demands the attention of us all, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Funny, memorable, characterful and original.
I’m excited to report that a loose adaptation of the story for TV won the the Writing Climate Pitchfest, 2024. The story grapples with the most pressing question of our age – what do we do when our current systems are leading us to planetary destruction?
Why has a professor of sustainability taken to fiction?
Firstly to reach a mainstream audience who’d never choose to watch a climate documentary.
Also because a storytelling format is a more engaging way to engage people in climate policies. Usually in business or government, one would use a stakeholder analysis to see who is benefited/harmed by any policy and how. These can be very dry and it can be hard to engage with the real impacts emotionally as the groups affected can seem distant. This story within a story set in a citizens’ assembly on climate allows stakeholders to become characters and as such we identify with them and their needs more easily. We can then view any policy from the perspective of a variety of people, all of whom have a unique relationship to the proposal.
