Philomena Lee told me her secret: the baby boy nuns forced her to give away
Small coincidences have big consequences. It’s a truism, but in writing my
book Philomena – now made into a startlingly movingfilm
by Stephen Frears, Steve Coogan and Judi Dench– two events showed
how true a truism can be.
The first concerned myself and an unexpected meeting at a party in 2004. I’d
recently lost my job as a government communications director after a row
with Alastair Campbell and Stephen Byers (it was about telling the truth)
and I was at a loose end.
