A RETAIL store manager from Dorset has launched his debut novel tackling emotional neglect and toxic masculinity.
Marks & Spencer store manager Joseph Ball marked the launch of his debut novel Growing Pains with an uplifting event at Waterstones in the county town.
More than 30 people gathered in the South Street store, including Joseph’s former Lidl colleagues, current M&S co-workers, friends, family and members of the public.
On the launch event, Joseph said: "I was so overwhelmed with the support shown on the night, I can't thank everyone involved in this project enough."
Set in 1990s Essex, Growing Pains follows 11-year-old Alexander as he navigates a difficult home life shaped by emotional neglect and rigid expectations of masculinity. The story draws on Joseph’s own experiences growing up and is the first in a planned series.
The father of two said he wrote the novel to help his daughter understand what it was like growing up for him.
"I wrote Growing Pains because I wanted my daughter to understand what it was like growing up in a harsher world, and why I struggle with things that may seem so simple to her," he added.
"She wasn’t at an age I felt we could talk about it, but she loves reading, so I had hoped to create the books to give to her once she is at an appropriate age. It is my hope that the novels will help readers understand what it is like to be abused less physically and more emotionally, and the impacts it has from childhood right through to adulthood."
Joseph recently moved from Lidl to M&S and has balanced retail management and life as a father of two with his writing.
He wrote much of the novel in the early mornings before work and has created a world that honours the people who helped him through, while shedding light on the silence that surrounds emotional abuse.
Joseph hopes that this story might reach someone who needs to know they’re not alone, and that their voice and their stories matter too. A portion of the profits from will also be donated to child protection charities.
He added: "I have seen this as an opportunity to educate and support, and a percentage of the book profits will go to child protection charities in the hope they can use the money for more good than I ever could."
Joseph is already working on the second book in the series and said his long-term ambition is to one day open his own bookshop.
He continued: "The sequel, Growing Pains: The Echo and The Voice, will follow Alex as he navigates his teen years, balancing his family's demands with his desire to rebel and live life on his own terms."
During the launch event guests heard about the journey behind the book during a Q&A hosted by award-winning author Ray Star, who supported Joseph through the writing process.
Ray said: “Joe reached out to me in 2024 after writing his first novel. We used to go to school together.
"Watching Growing Pains go from idea to published novel has been so uplifting. It’s a stunning debut.”
Growing Pains is available now from Waterstones and other major retailers.
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