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    I wrote Sitting in Limbo to tell my brother's story – and honour the Windrush victims | Stephen Thompson

    Amid protests, toppled statues, and a pandemic taking more black lives, we must not forget this scandal
    by Stephen Thompson Jun 22, 2020 3 minutes
    ‘I wanted to make things up, use my imagination, but at the same time I wanted to stay as close to my brother’s experience as possible.’ A scene from Sitting in Limbo. Photograph: Des Willie/BBC/Left Bank Pictures

    On one level, Sitting in Limbo is about my brother, Anthony Bryan, a UK citizen who was unlawfullydetained by the Home Office and threatened with deportation to Jamaica, a country he hadn’t been back to in more than 50 years. I wrote the story to highlight his disgraceful treatment and honour all those who suffered during the Windrush scandal. On another level, it’s about me. I am part of the Windrush lineage, after all; so, as with most of my work, it was really an excuse to write about myself.

    Although heavily based on I create fiction by instinct – novels are my stock in trade – but with this story I knew I had to adopt a different approach. Yes, I wanted to make things up, use my imagination, tell the story as I saw it as opposed to how the facts dictated, but at the same time, I wanted to stay as close to my brother’s experience as possible.

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