Searching for the Spirit of My Father

The story is about the senior executive of a large British business who loses his job in his late 50’s after the merger between his company and an international business. He sinks into a “pit” of despair and depression which he struggles to climb out of as he has made no preparations for losing his job and losing the status, power and prestige that was part of holding such a position. He believes that his old company will soon call him back to sort things out because the recession has started to seriously affect his old business. As he sinks deeper into depression he also slowly realises that a call from his old firm is not going to come. He recalls that his factory worker dad walked out of his own job when he was in his 60’s with no preparation for retirement but flourished up until his death.

So the now ex-senior executive, in an attempt to find himself, takes a journey around Britain, visiting those places where as a young boy he spent time on holiday with his dad, trying to find and learn from his dad’s spirit to help him survive. He visits Highbury, Leigh-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Aylesford, Margate, Henfield, Worthing, Barnstaple, Combe Martin, Minehead, Grasmere, Stirling, Aberfoyle, Newcastle, Whitley Bay and Wetherby before he returns back to his home in Nottingham. On his journey he finally does get a call from his old company, who are struggling with the recession, asking him to return to take up a major position with them again - but will he? What has he learned from his journey? What has he learned from his dad?