Q. Could you tell us a bit about A Family Matter - how would you describe it in your own words?
Lately I’ve come to think of it in layers. On the surface it’s a book about family and the secrets we keep from those we love most. Underneath that, is a layer about how we make sense of changing attitudes and social norms in our own lifetimes. Then finally, the layer it all stands upon, a specific moment in history and how that shapes the lives of these characters.
Q. What first sparked this concept for you, and why did you feel compelled to write about it?
I started out with the characters of Heron and Maggie, a father and daughter who are both incredibly close and extremely closed off all at once. I was interested too in the idea of anticipated grief, they know that pain is on the horizon but they have to carry on as usual in the meantime. At first, I was really just writing about their dynamic, imagining all the small interactions between them, the habits that have formed over a lifetime. It was only when I started to ask myself where Maggie’s mother had gone that the rest of the story started to emerge.
Q. The novel draws deeply on research, including real court cases and even transcriber dialogue woven into the text. Could you tell us more about your research process, and how you decided which real material to use?
I was so surprised when I came across these court cases that I almost needed to prove to myself they were real by being as thorough as possible in my research. I tried to see the full picture so I read newspaper articles, legal documents, social worker reports, PhD theses. I could pass an exam on the subject! But really it was the personal testimony, the support group handbooks, the insight from those who lived through similar experiences to Dawn that really pushed me on. I gave the lawyers and judges real language from real cases because I couldn’t have made it more shocking if I’d invented it.
Q. You manage to render every character with empathy, even Heron, who might easily have been cast as a villain. Was cultivating empathy for all your characters something you consciously kept at the forefront?
It was. As you say, it would have been tempting to say, here’s this terrible person who does a terrible thing, let’s all heap the blame on him. I think it’s more interesting, and I think more true to life, to say: here’s someone who is generally unremarkable. Does his best. Tries hard. He does what he thinks he must and what authority figures tell him to do. How many of us are really strong enough to go against that when the time comes?
Q. This book is mighty, it packs a real punch and moved me to my core. What’s the secret to creating that level of impact in just 224 pages?
Thank you. It really means a lot when people say they’ve connected with the book like this. I love a sprawling narrative as much as the next person, but sometimes there are stories that need to be cut out with a sharp knife. The scale of the book is actually quite big in that it takes place over forty years. Still, I made a decision early on to be as precise as possible, to make every word earn its place.
Q. You've previously written a memoir Small: On Motherhoods. How different was it stepping into fiction here, and did anything from writing a memoir carry over into how you wrote this story?
Ha! It was a blessed relief to be free to make things up! More seriously, when you’re writing memoir you start with outlining what happened but then have to go through and map out what it felt like to live those experiences from the inside. I think that was a great help actually in terms of putting myself in the characters’ shoes.
Q. What do you hope readers take away from A Family Matter?
The thing I admire most about these characters is how patient they are with each other. I think there’s a lot to be said for that. Perhaps there’s also the hint of a warning in the book. Readers are sometimes shocked that these cases happened so recently. We all need to be vigilant that they don’t become part of the near future too.
Q. What’s next for you?
Trying to write the next one mostly! I’m also in a lovely phase now where translations of A Family Matter are coming out so it's really exciting to hear from those readers. I’m off to Italy in a few weeks time for some book events which will be a great adventure.
Q: Can you describe your writing spot and routine for us?
I’m very lucky that I have a little office in my garden. I try to sneak in a bit of work early in the morning before I walk my children to school so I head out with a coffee while everyone else is still asleep. It depends on the stage of the project, but I’m annoyingly convinced I work best with pen and paper so it’s probably a very laborious process!
Q: What books have you recently read and loved?
Francesca Segal’s Tuga books are the perfect summer read, I ate them up on holiday and I can’t wait for the final part of the trilogy. I’m currently re-reading Samantha Harvey’s Orbital. It’s awe inspiring in all possible ways.
Q: And finally, what is the one book you always find yourself recommending to others?
It has to be Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk.
