Giant by Judith McQuoid

Davy, a working-class boy living in East Belfast in 1908, is sent to work at the wealthy Lewis household. When he meets Jacks – the name by which CS Lewis was known to friends and family – Davy is captivated by his friend’s world of books and stories. Together the boys plunge into imagining and adventuring, and Davy discovers his own artistic talent.

But when Davy is offered a job at the shipyard, and Jacks’s mother falls gravely ill, their wondrous days of make-believe seem numbered. Will they lose their extraordinary shared world forever?

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CS Lewis, the famed author of many beautiful books including the Narnia series, was born and grew up in Belfast and considered himself a proud Irishman all his life. It would have been easy to write this from his point of view, looking at Belfast from his privileged position. However, Judith made the decision to write it from the point of view of an ordinary, working class boy, who happens to meet CS - Jacks, as he was known at that age - when working in his family home. The power dynamic between them is never openly acknowledged, but is present in every moment.

Judith has clearly done her research; Belfast is not just a backdrop but feels like another character in the novel, living and breathing alongside Davey and Jacks. The descriptions of the shipyards were terrifying, and Judith doesn't shy away from the danger, and the necessity for young children to work there. Davey is lucky because of his friendship with Jacks, but many other children weren't. (There's also a very clever historical injoke related to a couple of Belfast's most famous ships!)

This is a really clever, unusual look at the life of a figure that we all know a bit, but none of us really know much about.

Book Recommendation: Bridge to Terabithia
Like Giant, Bridge to Terabithia follows two children who use fantasy to make sense of their lives. While Bridge has darker moments, both stories explore imagination as a refuge and a way to navigate the challenges of growing up.

Movie Recommendation: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Perhaps Jacks’ most famous work, this adaptation remains the gold standard for Narnia films. It introduced a new generation to Lewis’s beloved world, with breathtaking visuals and a pitch-perfect cast - including Liam Neeson as Aslan, in one of the most iconic voice performances of all time.

Giant publishes on the 3rd of March, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.