I spent the first 26 years of my life in Manchester, and never realised how all-consuming my relationship with the place was until I moved to Cambridge in 1997. I firmly believed I would live in Manchester for the rest of my life. Why wouldn’t I? Where else was there to go?
Until the age of 19, I had lived in leafy, vibrant West Didsbury, in the south of the city. It was at the local library that I first discovered Enid Blyton and the Secret Seven, EW Hildick and the McGurk gang. By the time I moved to nearby Rusholme, I was a confirmed crime addict – which was lucky, since in Rusholme I was extensively burgled, mugged and held at gunpoint. Still, my loyalty to my home city remained intact. I vividly remember the defensiveness I felt every time a non-Mancunian said something rude or passive-aggressive. Not once was my faith in Manchester dented. My reaction was: “If they don’t appreciate it, then there is something wrong with them.”
Then I was offered the dream job: fellow commoner in creative arts at Trinity College, Cambridge. This was beyond wonderful, and remains my single most life-changing experience. One of my favourite novels is Coming from Behind by Howard Jacobson, a darkly comic masterpiece that perfectly encapsulates the brilliance of Cambridge and how it can change our expectations of ourselves.
Once in Cambridge, I became aware of all the beautiful villages immediately beyond it: Reach, Madingley, Stow cum Quy. These were part of my experience there. I had colleagues at Trinity who lived in Hertfordshire villages, and friends I visited regularly in Bedford. All of this made me very conscious of how Manchester-only my formative years had been. When I went for a family day out to Holmfirth in Yorkshire, aged 13, I felt as if I was visiting the other side of the world. All my friends lived in Manchester, and most of my parents’ friends and colleagues did, too. There was a strong sense of not needing to think about, or go, anywhere else, ever.
I have now lived in several other places: Bingley and Utley in Yorkshire, Cambridge twice (during my Trinity years and again since 2010) and Somerford Keynes near Cirencester. I couldn’t have picked a better place to grow up than West Didsbury. At the same time, I couldn’t live there again. I now find it almost impossible to understand why anyone would live as an adult in the place where they grew up.
Cambridge is a place I chose, not one imposed on me. It has the cultural vibrancy and interesting mix of people that Manchester had, as well as great architectural beauty. For me, it’s a magical place.
• How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment – the Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life by Sophie Hannah (Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99). To order a copy for £14.95, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £15, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
