Novel boost for homeless charity

Staring into the eyes of strangers is the leading thread in popular Australian/British author, Paige Toon’s latest book – The Minute I Saw You.

Hannah, the main character, is a Cambridge-based dispensing optician who falls for a photographer. The twists and turns of the story include the challenges of homelessness and a plot thread centred around a girl with peripheral vision problems who walks out into the path of a cyclist.

Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) features, as Paige explained: “I always try to mention real organisations in my books. Much of the story is about the connections which people make through eyes and includes an inspired photographic exhibition of homeless people’s eyes, shot in macro, with their stories minutely written around the edges of the iris.”

The paperback version is out on 6 August, although advance Australian published copies are available via an auction, which raises funds for VCHP and other homeless charities at www.paigetoon.com

Elaine Styles, chair of VCHP, said: “To have our charity highlighted in such an inspired way is truly fantastic. We hope that it will lead people who are not yet supporters to join us in reaching more homeless people, and for them to gain a better view of the world.”