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Rohan West, an expat New Zealander, has released his debut novel Broken Vows, inspired by his maternal grandparents’ romance, which began when they met at Mt St Mary’s Seminary in Taradale after the the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake.
“Napier, Hawke’s Bay and the earthquake play a significant part in the book,” said West.
His grandfather, Albert Robertson was a seminarian.
Albert was caught in the Napier earthquake of February 1931.
Buried in the rubble of the seminary’s chapel, he was pulled out unconscious and barely alive.
West’s grandmother, Abigail McCarthy, a nurse from the local Napier hospital, was sent to the Mt St Mary’s seminary to tend to the injured, along with her cousin Moira.
“That’s where the romance started, but details were very light, hence turning the story into a piece of historical romance fiction,” West said.
West, a sports marketer aged 49 who now lives in Leicestershire, UK, is delighted his book has been released after nearly 10 years in the making.
“This has been a labour of love for me but it’s an inspiring story which I wanted to share,” he said.
“The story of how my grandparents met, fell in love and eventually ran away together was a family secret for over 50 years. My mum and aunt only found out by accident.”
“My grandpa loved literature, so I wanted to honour their beautiful story by writing about it.”
The release of Broken Vows coincided with the 85th anniversary of the 1931 quake.
“The earthquake still has great resonance back home. So having the book come out around the anniversary is fortuitous,” West said.
Broken Vows was released on February 28 by UK-based Troubador Publishing.
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