BEHIND CLOSED DOORS- Mental Health, Homelessness & Young People On The Edge
In July 2018, a truly moving book hit the YA market. Behind Closed Doors deals with young people living under the threat of homelessness due to the action, or inaction of the adults in their world that are supposed to protect them. The characters and their lives are laid out on the page with openness; frankness. Realistically written, it is compelling, riveting and unique in its' content. Far from being dismal or depressing, while it is hard-hitting in its' revelations, it is also filled with humour and kindness. |
| Miriam Halamhy |
1.What inspired you to write a book about
young people facing the possibility/reality of homelessness?
In 1966 as a teenager I saw the
film, Cathy Come Home, by Ken Loach on British TV. It depicted the slide into
homelessness by a young couple and the loss of their children into Care. The
film shocked the nation and the charity, Shelter, was set up the following year
to help the homeless.
This film triggered a
lifelong concern in me for homeless people. I initiated fund raising events for
Shelter as a young person. As a teacher I had some students housed in horrible B&B
accommodation for homeless families. Mothers would tell me how they were often
placed on a different floor to their teenage children.
I have also run writing
workshops for homeless people and listened to their stories. In recent years
there have been more and more articles and documentaries about the rising
number of teens who end up sleeping rough. I decided that I would write a novel
which would show some of the reasons why teenagers end up on the streets.
2. In this book, you also cover a broad
spectrum of issues effecting young people today; ones that can easily lead down
the path to homelessness. The number of them touched on was astounding! (Well
done! It is a real eye opener.) How did you go about choosing
which issues would most affect Josie and
Tasha?
I decided that the book would
be in the voices of two teenage girls; quite a challenge – but I like a
challenge! This allowed me to tell two very different stories. I decided on
Tasha’s story first because my research showed that many teenage girls leave
home because mother brings in a new boyfriend who takes an unhealthy interest
in the girl.
According to the Joseph
Rowntree Association, around 75,000 young people contact homeless services each
year. Many young people ‘sofa surf’–
sleep on a friend’s couch. My character, Tasha, is terrified of sleeping rough,
so she is sofa surfing and already homeless.
 |
| photo by Paula Salischiker |
During my gestation for this
book there were documentaries on TV about hoarders which I knew very little
about. I had thought that hoarders were mainly older, single people. I was
therefore surprised to see an episode with a young teen living in these
conditions.
I started to research
children of hoarders and one of the themes that emerged was the fact that some teens,
as young as fourteen, simply can’t stand living in a hoard any longer and leave,
becoming homeless.
Here are some of their comments :-
 |
| photo by Paula Salischiker |
“I think being homeless would
be a better option that living in my mother’s house.”
“I spent my teens
house-hopping to get away from my mother’s hoard. I felt homeless.” “Mum likes
her stuff more than me.”
I therefore decided to make
this Josie’s story as I felt it was a little-known issue.
3. In Josies’ story, I was most interested
in her mothers’ mental illness. And the real danger of
becoming a victim to criminal activity as a result of her mothers’ being in
prison created a tension and concern that was shocking. Could you say something
about this?
My novel was published in 2018,
the year that the World Health Organisation recognised hoarding as a distinct
mental health issue. This is a very important development and has been welcomed
by the various charities which support hoarders and recognise their mental
health issues.
 |
| photo by Paula Salischiker |
There has been very little
research so far into hoarding. It has only been conducted in America since the
1990s and in the UK since the 2000s. There are few available statistics. However,
according to Paul Noblet, Head of Public Affairs at Centrepoint, over 55% of
homeless young people supported by Centrepoint in 2018, “left home because of a
family relationship breakdown. While the reasons vary, a factor can be mental
health issues within the family, such as hoarding.”
Certainly, within my own
social circles, I know of two people who left home before they were sixteen
because of hoarding.
In my novel I wanted to
create a situation whereby other people entered the hoarder house and helped
Josie to realise that her mother wasn’t simply saving the planet. To do this I
had to remove Mum from the scene. From this point onwards, Josie is both at
serious risk and also about to come to the notice of Social Services. I always
enjoy raising the tension in my novels, creating impossible problems for my
characters to resolve and making things much worse before any possibility of a
resolution. But Josie is not alone. She develops her unlikely friendship with
Tasha and together they set out to resolve their situations.
4. Grooming and sexual abuse are issues
that, shockingly, far too many children are dealing with today. And I have to
say, Tasha’s mother and her attitude towards Tasha in this regard was most
disconcerting. Could you tell me something about that?
Yes, I quite agree
and I deliberately put this story line in. Unfortunately, there are too many
cases where children are at risk at home and do not have the protection of their
parents or carers. This is not of course all children in homes where new
partners come to live. But one could argue that this should never happen. Tasha
is under the threat of sexual abuse from Mum’s new boyfriend who is 35. But
even when she appeals to her mother, Tasha is ignored because Mum puts her relationship
before the needs of her own daughter. This must be such a terrifying and
depressing situation for any child or teenager to experience. It is
not a spoiler to say that this is not resolved by the end of the book and Tasha’s
mother will never recognise that she has neglected her daughter.
5. The two central characters, Josie and Tasha
have very different lifestyles. And quite different personalities. For example,
Tasha seems to be more capable of imposing herself on Josie when she needs
shelter; is more forthright with her opinions. Josie is more secretive; tries
to hide things until she can work it out alone. How did you envision them being
able to develop an actual friendship (rather than a camaraderie based on
necessity)?
I felt that Josie and Tasha were
such a great match! There are so many reasons why these two might never be
friends. I am very interested in how friendships are triggered and as a teacher
I had the opportunity to see some very unlikely friendships develop. Tasha and
Josie start poles apart and even when Josie reluctantly lets Tasha into the
house, Tasha behaves in her usual self-centred, critical manner, even though she
is desperate. Josie continues to plug her Mum’s views that they are saving the
planet and refuses to acknowledge her mum is a hoarder.
Both girls are protecting themselves
from the shameful areas of their lives which they are hiding from. They refuse
to admit how bad things are to themselves, let alone each other. But the turning
point comes when they are invaded by two criminals, who settle down in the
house.
"We stare at each other
and in that moment everything between us changes. Tasha with the mum who
doesn't protect her and me with the mum in prison, neither of us with a proper
home."
This is the beginning of
trust between them, the bedrock of friendship. They are in the same boat, both
equally at risk and they come to rely on each other to overcome the odds.
Eventually they are even able to mock each other gently. Josie calls Tasha a ‘drama
queen’ and Tasha jokes about Josie’s boyfriend. But it is their acceptance of
each other’s terrible situations, created by the failure of their families to provide
a safe home, which binds them together.
As one young reviewer commented,
“This book has completely changed my way of grasping the word 'home'...you
will realise what 'home' is and where your real 'home' is by the end.” An Nabeshima, 17 yrs,
6. While the book does deal with some
pretty hard-hitting issues, yet it is never grim and manages to inject some lightness,
humour and hope throughout without making light of any of it. How (and why) did
you manage to accomplish this?
Humour in my gritty novels is
one of my trademarks. I feel that it is so important when dealing with tough
issues for readers of any age. Humour doesn’t have to be side-splitting but it
is needed to lift the mood. Otherwise the novel rolls out relentlessly from one
awful scenario to the next and that can switch the reader off.
In this book Tasha can be quite
amusing, with her ironic world view. Her ‘sweet little friend’ Dom tries to
sound cool and ends up sounding nerdy. And there are some lighter moments with
Josie and her new boyfriend, Jordan.
Such as when they go on their
first date.
Jordan says, “Shall I order wine?”
My eyes open wide with
amazement and we stare at each other and then I can’t help it. This enormous
giggle bursts up through me and we both start laughing…
“What?” he says.
“It’s a burger place, not the
Hilton.”
“But that’s what my dad always
says to Mom when he takes us out for dinner.”
When I talk about my books in
school, young people comment on the humour (and laugh in the right places!) But
they tell me that they really like the fact that my books are about ‘real’
people and ‘real’ situations. I write contemporary and historical realistic
fiction on challenging issues, with strong characters and a liberal dose of
humour. This is what I like to read and this is what I enjoy writing.
HAPPY READING!
Thank you so much, Miriam, for taking the time to answer these questions.
To find out more about Miriam Halamhy, follow the link below:
'Hoarding' photographs by Paula Salischiker
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