Undercurrent book review: “you can’t kick hunger into touch with a beautiful view”
We're marking World Book Day on 2 March 2023 by exploring books about UK poverty - especially those written by people who have experienced it for themselves. 'Undercurrent' by Natasha Carthew, coming out soon, is one such book - reflecting on the experience of poverty in Cornwall. We asked Gemma Athanasius-Coleman, who has spoken out about her own experiences through End Hunger Cornwall, to take a look.
This book poetically tells a story of the unique issues that Cornwall as a county faces when it comes to poverty. The author describes how during the 2020 lockdown, Cornwall saw a large increase in poverty, and how she believes factors contributing to this include a lack of access to healthcare services, poor transport, education, and leisure.
These factors are described as the ‘undercurrents’ that move in and around society without ever being properly recorded.
Poverty in Cornwall is different: it’s off-grid gas, low income and high costs, poor housing, seasonal work, zero-hour contracts with limited education and job opportunities. Fuel, transport, and food poverty are strongly linked, and if you are experiencing one, the likelihood is you’ll be experiencing another simultaneously. If you live in rural isolation, then your options for affordable goods and services are also limited.
Poverty in Cornwall is different: it’s off-grid gas, low income and high costs, poor housing, seasonal work, zero-hour contracts with limited education and job opportunities.
Cornwall is a gorgeous county and one of beauty, mystery and wonder, and yes, we folk that live here are lucky to do so, but it comes with a price. As beautiful as she is with her blue seas, rocky coastline and rich heritage and history, I must agree with the author that “you can’t kick hunger into touch with a beautiful view”.
“You can’t kick hunger into touch with a beautiful view”
Central to this memoir is the importance of nature and its healing properties, which must never be taken for granted. Nature is sacred to many in Cornwall, and it is the one commodity that we must strive to restore, protect, and maintain. We should encourage the next generation to use nature as therapy and medicine, to help soothe the stresses of poverty, isolation and life struggles and empower the next generation to make positive changes.
Here in Cornwall, we can’t eat the view, but we can certainly benefit from it and fight for its right to remain unspoiled for everyone’s benefit.
