ENNISKILLEN-born journalist and novel writer Jason Johnson had to “get honest” with himself while examining the topic of his latest book; alcohol.

‘Sinker’ is Johnson’s third novel, telling the story of law dropout Baker Forley, from Derry, as he signs up for the world’s most controversial and deadly sport, professional drinking.

Published by Liberties Press, the book is described as being “inspired by the power and complexity of addiction”, and is “a thrilling, irreverent yet often joyful take on a hopeless but changing male drinking culture.” Johnson grew up in Drumclay, Enniskillen and attended the Model Primary School and Portora Royal School. He is a son of Toni Johnson and Gorson Johnson, the late well-known model maker.

He recalls that he and his friends were introduced to Ireland’s ‘drinking culture’ when they were around 16 and were “in awe” of an Enniskillen man, who Johnson describes as “a quiet sort of man, a fella who could drink gallons but would never get drunk to the point of falling over or starting fights.” Johnson explains: “We were just starting to drink when we learned who he was. When we found out how much he could handle we were amazed, seriously impressed. For us, he was some sort of a local hero. We hoped one day to be able to drink like him, and most of us gave it a good lash.” The idea for Sinker came to Johnson “in a flash” as he was crossing a road in Mallorca. He explains: “I thought: ‘That’s it. That’s the idea I’ve been waiting for.’ I set it in Mallorca and spent a long time getting it right, to the point where I thought I had taken it as far as I could. Lucky enough, Liberties Press thought I was onto something too.” The character Baker is “a bit lost”, Johnson explains. “He’s dropped out of university and can’t decide what he wants to do with himself. The one thing he can do better than other people is hold his drink, so with a little bit of reluctance he gets involved in pro drinking, the worst most controversial sport, in the hope of making some cash.” Johnson wanted a character “who had a colourful past, who had ambition but who hadn’t found a direction in life.” Asked why Baker is from Derry, Johnson explains: “Derry serves as a bit of a metaphor for Baker. It is a place with a troubled past but which is energetic and ambitious about its future, which we saw with the City of Culture events.

“It’s a city with a real sense of community, which likes to look after its own, and I wanted Baker to get a sense of that when it all goes wrong for him.” He adds: “In part, I used Derry because I like it. I have family there and enjoy nights out there. My first two novels were about Belfast people and I wanted to move west this time.” Since writing the book, Johnson has admitted that the process helped him clarify the story of his own drinking. Asked to explain further, he says: “It helped me get honest with myself at a time when I needed to think about how much I was drinking. The idea for the novel came to me after I thought about answering some hard questions, so making up characters who were surrounded by alcohol forced me to really examine all this.

“I reined in my drinking and am much more comfortable with it now than I was. I owe that in part to the novel.” Johnson has worked as a journalist with magazines, tabloids and broadsheets in London, Dublin and Belfast, which he says all began after a week’s work experience with the Impartial Reporter “many years ago.” He is married with two children and lives in Belfast.