Talking Location With Eleni Kyriacou – SOHO, LONDON

24th February 2021

#TalkingLocationWith…Eleni Kyriacou, author of She Came To Stay – SOHO, LONDON

Soho is in my blood and the 1950s are my passion, so when it came to deciding the location for my debut novel, it was the obvious choice. The glittering, grimy streets have always held a fascination for me – the way the glamour rubs up against the grime and crime. It’s this heady mix I wanted to recreate when writing my debut novel, She Came To Stay.

In my book, Dina arrives from rural poverty in Cyprus to find a bigger, better life for herself. She meets the mysterious, glamorous Bebba and, as the two become firm friends, Bebba’s past catches up with them, and Dina’s future and life are soon hanging in the balance.

In the 1950s, my parents also travelled to England from Cyprus, just like my protagonist and so many immigrants before them. They arrived separately, met, married and years later had me and my sister. I wasn’t alive in the 1950s but because of their stories I feel I was.

So many places from my childhood have made it into the book. Like the famous Berwick Street market, where I remember trips with my dad on Saturdays  – always starting at the far end first and working our way back, as stallholders gradually reduced their prices at the end of the day.

St Anne’s church

Selfridges clock

Then there’s Selfridges, a store we would stare into rather than ever buy anything from. The huge gilded angel clock above the doors, known as The Queen of Time, is 11-foot tall, made of bronze and was the work of Gilbert Bayes (unveiled in 1931). It’s a meeting place for Dina and Bebba in my book, and has for years been a place I’ve met friends, too.

Any historical novel means a lot of research, and sometimes that research inspires actual scenes. I discovered the story of St Anne’s Church (which sits between Wardour Street and Dean Street) and was bombed twice in the forties. Like much of ruined London, sometimes these bombsites would remain scars on the city’s landscape for years to come. Very often it wasn’t until years after the war had ended that they were finally cleared. I used this bombed-out churchyard as a setting for a crucial scene in my book, where Dina and Bebba tell each other about their fractured pasts.

In the 1950s, immigrants often worked in cafes or bars, so I’ve made these central to the book, too. One café that had to feature (and has now sadly disappeared) is the wonderful Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street (or Pat Val’s to those in the know). I worked in Soho throughout my twenties and thirties, as a magazine writer then an editor, and every morning I’d visit Pat Val’s where I’d glance through my work for that day, read the papers and prepare myself with a strong coffee and a chat with the other regulars. The iconic Bar Italia on Frith Street also provided inspiration, as a recently opened café that employed immigrants (though the café that Dina works in, the Coffee Corner, is a fictionalised Cypriot greasy spoon and nowhere near as stylish!).

TIPS FOR WRITERS

• People and location go hand in hand In the 1950s, Soho was full of Greeks, Italians, Maltese and West Indians – and many other nationalities too. All these people brought their own customs, food, language and culture. When writing about a specific location it isn’t enough to depict the buildings and the street. Who were the people who lived here and brought these places to life?
• Watch any footage Depending on your location and era, there may be Youtube footage. See what’s available (there’s incredible footage of the Great Smog on Youtube)
• Old maps are very useful – name places change, streets change, but the original London A-Z (see photo) is a snapshot of how things used to be. Perfect when moving your characters around the city.
• Photography exhibitions can be very useful, especially ones that document ordinary people’s lives. You’re getting a glimpse into the past and often photos tell as much as books can.

Eleni Kyriacou is the author of She Came To Stay, published by Hodder (paperback 25.2.20, hardback, audio and ebook).

Buy Now

Follow Eleni on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

For writing tips and book recommendations, join her Readers’ & Writers’ Club

Join Team TripFiction on Social Media:

Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)

Subscribe to future blog posts