Meet Albert
Matt Cain, author and good friend of postbox strategy planner, Tas Anastasis, is about to release his latest novel…about a postman.
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle follows a lonely 64-year-old postman in a quiet town in Northern England. Being a postman is one of the few things everyone knew about Albert. It was also one of the few things he was comfortable with people knowing.
An excerpt from the book’s blurb reads: ‘(Albert) keeps himself to himself. He always has. But he's just learned he'll be forced to retire at his next birthday. With no friends and nothing to look forward to, the lonely future he faces terrifies him. He realises it's finally time to be honest about who he is. He must learn to ask for what he wants. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost - but has never forgotten…’
Matt (pictured) told The Bookseller: ‘It's been a joy for me to write this novel set in the working-class north of England and to bring to life the late blooming of a 60-something gay man, his quest to find his lost love, and the friendships he makes with people who are, on the surface, very different to him.’
One of Matt’s earlier novels, The Madonna of Bolton, was rejected more than 30 times by traditional publishers before it was picked up by Unbound. The title went on to become Unbound's fastest crowdfunded novel before it was published in 2018, with authors including David Walliams and David Nicholls pledging money to crowdfund the title. Matt later struck a film deal for the book.
‘While growing up you question things,’ said Tas. ‘Why do I like certain music? Why don’t I like football? You feel different when you don’t seem to fit into the norm.
‘Many years later, a book comes out that makes you realise you aren’t alone, and everything makes sense. No publisher would touch Matt’s “The Madonna of Bolton” as they thought it wouldn’t be popular enough. And so, Matt crowdfunded it. I also helped. It has now sold many thousands of copies and will soon be made into a movie.
‘Matt and I got to know each other via social media through a mutual love of Madonna. His new book “The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle” obviously resonates with my place of work at Royal Mail. Being a gay man myself and part of the LGBT+ & Friends steering group, I can’t wait to read it and I’m sure many more people will be drawn into the story too.’
