Tell us about your debut novel, Clara and Christina
Clara and Christina is about the relationship between a young academic, Clara Wilson, and the novelist at the centre of her research, Christina Darnell. It explores intergenerational friendship, the love of art, and, I suppose, the porous border between fiction and reality. Much to some of the bafflement of some of the agents and editors I pitched the novel to, there is no murder in this book.
Your hero, Marilynne Robinson, was the subject of your PhD thesis and academic study, Marilynne Robinson, Theologian of the Ordinary (2021). What does she and her writing mean to you?
I wrote a book trying to fully unpack how much Robinson’s work means to me, and could probably write another. She taught me so much about what grace means, how a novel can reenchant a reader’s worldview. For me, she’s the greatest American novelist.
How did meeting her lead to your Irish Novel Fair-winning novel?
My novel’s central conceit – a young academic sitting down with the subject of their research – is borrowed from my real-life meeting with Marilynne Robinson. I don’t think I fully appreciated how much that meeting meant to me until I saw the proofs of my own novel sitting on my doorstep.
A debut novel about two writers that is also a critique of contemporary publishing feels audacious
Writing a novel is pretty audacious to begin with. Why not lean into the audacity a little?
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Autobiographical fiction is on the rise, but you are in favour of fiction being “made up”. Why?
Well, one of the ironies of this novel is that Christina laments the rise of autofiction all the while being housed in a novel that is deeply autobiographical. I am a hypocrite, but hoping critics read this as postmodern irony.
There has been talk of the disappearance of the male novelist. Is this nonsense?
Yeah, pretty much. There are too many.
Religion is back in the contemporary novel. What’s going on?
I think New Atheism did us all a disservice by being really quite terrible. Through its failures, we have seen bad religion rise again, particularly among young men. In the literary world, we have seen religion in all forms flood back into the mainstream. Ordinary Saints, Beautiful World Where Are You? Personally, I think it’s added a depth dimension to contemporary writing.
You teach in a Belfast school, as did fellow writers Wendy Erskine, David Park and Bernard MacLaverty. Is it inspiring, in life and fiction?
Teaching inspires me to teach better; writing inspires me to write better. They are totally separate ventures. I adore them both.
Tell us about the Belfast literary scene. Should Dublin be worried?
Being second best is nothing to be afraid of! I’ve been telling my brother that for years.
Which projects are you working on?
I am halfway through a novel set in a reality TV show based in 2002. It is proving to be hugely enjoyable and very, very challenging!
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?
No, my pilgrimages tend to be coffee shops in pursuit of a decent 500 words each week.
What is the best writing advice you have heard?
Read. I don’t think writing can be taught, really. Though if Harvard or Yale are reading, I’ll give it a go.
Who do you admire the most?
People who change their minds.
You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?
A swathe of taxes on the super-wealthy. We’ll look back at our lack of action on this the way we look back at other historical moral failures and wonder how anyone ever made a case for late-stage capitalism.
Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?
Blue Heron, a recent film that is stunning in its approach to visualising memory, family and regret.
Which public event affected you most?
Seeing Alanis Morissette live last year. You could power cities on her voice.
The most remarkable place you have visited?
New York City, with my sixth formers, this June. Doing the Hudson river and Statue of Liberty with them was very special.
Your most treasured possession?
I am surprised to realise I don’t really have one. My semi-Buddhist practice of non-attachment is coming on quite well, it turns out.
What is the most beautiful book that you own?
A severely damaged copy of Home by Marilynne Robinson. At the end of our interview, I asked her to sign the book, and she loved how battered it looked.
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Definitely living.
The best and worst things about where you live?
The best thing about Belfast is the boys I teach. I think they are the funniest, most surprising people on the planet. The worst is that our politics up here consistently prioritises sectarian division over class-based solidarity.
What is your favourite quotation?
“Grace has a grand laughter in it.” From Marilynne, of course.
Who is your favourite fictional character?
Glory, from Home.
A book to make me laugh?
Everything That is Beautiful by Louise Nealon has some great jokes.
A book that might move me to tears?
Please just read Home, Robinson’s third novel. It has the greatest ending in all contemporary fiction.
- Clara and Christina is published by John Murray on July 30th
