When he was a year old, David Nwokedi was taken from his home in Nigeria to a new life in Newhaven.

Heat and dust, juicy mangoes and the buzz of flies were replaced by pebbles and chimneys, penny chews and sea mist.

David recalls: "I grew up thinking I was the only black person in the universe. Then my older brother and sister came to join me so I knew there were at least three black faces."

Eventually, David discovered a world outside Newhaven and found his place in it, becoming a social worker.

But he has drawn on those early experiences to write his first novel, Fitzgerald's Wood.

Although not autobiographical, it does reflect David's early life.

He was born into a middle class family in Nigeria. His father, Augustine, was a civil engineer and with a war raging around them, his white mother Janice, decided to return to her native Newhaven and brought her youngest child with her.

David was 16 when he saw his father again.

In Fitzgerald's Wood, the story is told through the eyes of a black child growing up in a sleepy, white village 30 miles south of London.

The story opens with Fitzgerald's father being killed by a lorry on his way home. From that moment, Fitzgerald finds himself embarking on a journey to understand who his father was.

The coming-of-age story explores questions of family, identity, ancestral memory and a man's place in the world.

David, 40, said: "I wanted to write a story about a father not being there when his son was growing up so there is an autobiographical sense of loss which has transferred itself to someone else's story."

David's early years were fractured. His mother returned to Nigeria to train as a nurse and he was fostered for two years.

When he was five and reunited with his mother, David moved to Brighton and went to Coombe Road School where he developed a love of words.

Although David had plenty of friends, he stood out from the crowd.

He said: "I was acutely aware I was different and found ways to adapt. I experienced racism but it was covert. Sometimes I would be called 'nigger' or 'sambo' and I would get into a fight. Even my friends would sometimes make racist remarks and then say 'Oh but you're OK, you're one of us, you were born here' and I'd say 'No I wasn't'. You have to continually re-establish your identity."

When he was 16 he returned to Nigeria.

He said: "When I got there, I realised how English I was.

"It made the impact of loss even stronger. You have to seek out that aspect of your identity.

"The book is a love story of a son towards his father and his mother. Ultimately it is a quest for love and affirmation of who we are."

David, of Dawson Terrace, Brighton, has two children with wife Jill, also a social worker. Keita is 18 and Asher, 16. They have not been to Nigeria yet to meet their paternal grandfather.

David said: "Taking the children to Nigeria is overdue. It is an important connection with their heritage."

David now works for a charity as an advocate for children in care.

He is writing a second novel, which has the working title Abraham's Wisdom.

Fitzgerald's Wood, published by Jonathan Cape, price £10.99.