Men, shouting…
‘Ordinary people are always caught up in the ambitions of those who shout the loudest.’
John spoke to NewInBooks about some of the ideas behind We Are Made, his TBR pile and a theme song for the novel’s protagonist, William (it’s a banger, by the way…)
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write We Are Made?
I’ve been a video agency journalist for more than three decades. The experience has taught me that geopolitics will never leave us alone. Ordinary people are always caught up in the ambitions of those who shout the loudest. This is as true today as it was in 1938, when We Are Made is set. Men, shouting… that pretty much sums up geopolitics for me.
What’s your favourite genre to read? Is it the same as your favourite genre to write?
We Are Made is a literary historical novel set in the 20th century – and I like reading literary historical novels set in the 20th century. But I like lots of other stuff, too! I’m fascinated by history in general, so any time period can pique my interest. I also like contemporary literary novels from all over the world. And I’m a sucker for a fast-paced thriller. I also love stumbling across classics (or modern classics) that I missed while I was growing up. Reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons recently was enormous fun!
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I do so much reading around my main fiction subject area that it’s sometimes hard to fit other reading in. But you’ve got to read widely and open yourself up to as many influences as possible. The other day, I listened to a fascinating interview with the author Sarah Perry. Her novel, Melmoth, is now top of my reading list. Also on the list is The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood, Allow Me to Introduce Myself, by Onyi Nwabineli, and The Predicament, by William Boyd.
One non-fiction book on my TBR pile is The Dark Side of the Moon, by Lucy Zoe Girling Zajdler. Published anonymously in 1946, it’s an account of Soviet atrocities in Poland between 1939 and 1945. While I was researching We Are Made, I read My Name Is Million, Zajdler’s searing, firsthand account of the 1939 German invasion of Poland. An Anglo-Irishwoman married to a Pole, Zajdler had to flee for her life when the Germans invaded. She eventually made it to Britain but she never saw her husband again. This is what geopolitics does to people.
What scene in your book was your favourite to write in We Are Made?
Around a third of the way through the book, there’s a long scene set at an airshow in north west London. Several of the main characters are present and there’s a lot going on between them. It was fun to weave all of this stuff in among the magnificent aeroplanes of the time!
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (Lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Absolutely not! I can write pretty much anywhere and at any time, if I have to. But I do like to get up early – around six – and bash out some words before the day gets going. Sometimes, just plodding on with the thing is the best way forward.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Not one quote or philosophy, no. In general, I believe you should cast your net as wide as you can for influences and then make your own mind up as to what you think about it all – while trying not to do harm to the people you encounter in life.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
The clue is in the title, We Are Made. All of us are shaped by the world around us. We are made, if you like. So it’s up to all of us to make the world a better place. Because the alternative never works out well for most ordinary people.
If you had to pick a theme song for the main character in your book, what would it be?
My main character, William, finds himself falling in love – but it’s all going a bit wrong. So how about Should I Stay or Should I Go, by The Clash? Poor old William might be able to distract himself by translating the Spanish backing vocals…