Welcome to my eight-part blog series about the main themes in At Liberty To Live. You may have read my previous blog series on the themes of Atlantic Split, so now it’s the turn of book 2. Find the links to the previous blogs at the bottom of this blog post. There will be some crossover between the two books. The first theme I will be discussing is central to At Liberty To Live – New Beginnings. Warning: This blog contains spoilers.
It’s fitting that this blog falls on today, Thursday 8th November 2018 because this was indeed the day in Atlantic Split where Luke’s new beginning…begun. It was the start of his journey on the run with James and Steve as they rescued him from a life in jail. From there, none of them looked back (though for Luke it was hard to do so) and their life on the run continues into At Liberty To Live.
Going from his old life into a new, unfamiliar world where he’s out of his depth, is the most difficult decision Luke’s ever had to face. Not only because he’s sheltered and never really been without his family, but because of what he’s holding onto inside. He knows that there’s a murder charge on his head, albeit a false one, but what happened to Adam Wicks still plays upon his mind every day. Having to let that go and stop it from holding him back is just one of the challenges he has to face.
At Liberty To Live, is in fact, (as per the title) all about Luke learning to live with himself and his choice to leave home. Just because he’s physically gone to a new country, doesn’t mean that starting again is going to be so easy. However, he knows he has to, or he and his friends will be in danger if the police ever realised he was in the country. Yet, the pull from his old life is so strong and stepping into adulthood was daunting enough before this new situation, and this is something he battles with throughout the book. You’ll have to read through to see what happens by the end, and whether or not his new start is successful, and the result may be surprising. It’s not just Luke who’s offered a new beginning.
Throughout The Luke Bright Series, this theme runs through, not only in the sense of a physical new beginning but emotional ones too. The situation Luke’s in means he’ll always be looking over his shoulder and that means being ready for the worst. But how many times can you start again before the past catches up? That’s the one thing about a new beginning – you never know when it might end. However, the hardest step is to realise that starting again is the best solution. For Luke, he had to make that choice because if he didn’t, where would he be now? I look back to where he is currently in the timeline and where he’s due to head and wonder if at the moment in time when he’s in his court case, would he ever imagine his life turning out the way it would in just a few hours time? After all, anything’s better than a lifetime in jail, isn’t it?
I end this blog with a quote from At Liberty To Live about new beginnings from the very first moments of Luke’s new life in the USA. Something he never imagined would happen but yet, is experiencing first hand. For a Brit, the experience almost seems indescribable.
“This was the start of my new life and I had no idea what to expect. I was scared, terrified, but ecstatic and excited. There was absolutely no going back now.” Luke Bright – At Liberty To Live.
Thank you for reading this blog, and next Thursday I’ll be back with the second theme of At Liberty To Live, inner strength.
Atlantic Split Theme Blog Series Links:
Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and my social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.
N.A.K.
Neil A. King 
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