Why?
At its core, BONKAS was born from anger to be honest. Anger at an unregulated UK funeral industry.
When Tracey passed away in 2022, I trusted the local "family-run" funeral directors to handle arrangements with dignity and respect.
Instead, they treated her with contempt.
The shocking discovery that our supposedly independent funeral director was actually one of nearly 1,000 owned by a corporate PLC was just the beginning.
My complaints were met with corporate stonewalling rather than human understanding. Even when the National Association of Funeral Directors upheld my complaint, finding multiple code breaches.
Nothing changed. Of course it didn't - in an unregulated industry, who enforces these codes?
The lack of government statutory regulation in the UK funeral sector is staggering. While similar behavior in other countries might bankrupt a corporation through legal action, here it continues unchecked. My experience wasn't unique - many families face similar situations during their most vulnerable moments.
BONKAS emerged as my way of channeling anger and frustration into something constructive. What began as an attempt to regain control during a period of complicated grief evolved into a novel. Through fiction, I found a way to expose truths about an industry that desperately needs reform.
The novel's themes of institutional failure, corporate deception, and the vulnerability of the bereaved all stem from real experience. While Patrick Brady's story is fiction, the systemic issues he confronts are all too real.
This isn't just about my experience or Tracey's memory - it's about preventing other families from facing similar betrayals during their darkest hours. The UK funeral industry needs proper regulation, real accountability, and genuine oversight.
Until then, corporate profits will continue to take precedence over dignity and respect.
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