St Helens author Alan Hill publishes latest novel Under The Stairs

Alan Hill grew up in Blackbrook, and left the town in 1989 but still comes back on a regular basis to watch Saints and visit his mum, who lives in Moss Bank. 

The latest novel, Alan’s sixth, is called Under the Stairs, and was released just before Christmas in 2023.

The work is influenced by Alan’s family history, and his dad’s story, with Alan calling it “a novel of identity, unconditional love and family secrets”.

Alan Hill is a big rugby league fan and St Helens man through and through (Image: Submitted)

A lot of the novel takes place in St Helens, with several chapters under the heading of the town. 

“It is based upon the true events that happened to my family,” said Alan, who played for 10 seasons at Blackbrook amateur rugby league club.

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“I have developed a narrative around that, it focuses on my dad. It’s a novel about identity and who he really was. I always wanted to write my dad’s story.”

A collection of Alan's works (Image: Submitted)

Accountant Alan, whose previous jobs included at Ravenhead Glass, Beechams Factory and Spillers before he moved south, said he has changed some of the names relating to the town, such as Blackbrook to ‘Redpool’ but there are still many St Helens references.

The narrative spans around a century in time from the 1930s onwards and across several different countries, making a “real jigsaw puzzle of a book”.

Alan Hill (Image: Submitted)

The Star reported in 2021 when Alan published A Boy Called Arsenal, about challenges a Bournemouth-based Scouser faced growing up with acute autism and an obsession with football. His previous works also include the Tremain trilogy.

Under The Stairs has been “garnishing good reviews” and is available to buy on Amazon.