After a spotlight a few days ago, I’m excited to host this Q&A with the author of Furious Thing. Jennie Downham answers a few questions in today’s post about her writing and her newly released YA Contemporary novel. This book is published by David Fickling Books and this Q&A is part of her Blog Tour hosted by FFBC Tour.
Now, let me introduce you to Jennie Downham.
Jennie Downham, Author of Furious Thing – Q&A
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
When I began writing, all I had in mind was the image of a teenage girl being singled out for blame by everyone. She was angry, but I didn’t know why. It was as if I knew the tone of the piece, but nothing else. I quickly realised that her anger was an expression of something wrong in her life. She was letting people know that her feelings mattered. But female rage is often dismissed or pathologized and instead of listening, her family chose to blame her and view her as irrational.
It was then that I realised I was writing about controlling and coercive behaviour. I was excited to write about a teenager who trusts her own instincts about what’s right and wrong, despite what others are telling her.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHEN WRITING THIS BOOK?
It was a challenge to write about something as emotionally slippery as controlling and coercive behaviour. This kind of psychological abuse is often hidden in plain sight. We find it hard to recognise in our own lives, almost impossible to see in others’ and yet it’s everywhere.
Lexi, the 15-year-old protagonist of my book, doesn’t know what’s happening to her at first and when she does begin to recognise it, she has no words to describe it and even if she did – would anyone believe her? To move her from target to hero in a way that was authentic, was quite a task!
Also, I wanted the book to contain a lot of love and laughter, despite the difficult subject matter. It was important to me that Lexi was funny and brave and hopelessly in love as well as someone with a furious temper and a tough life.
DESCRIBE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER IN THREE WORDS
Brave. Authentic. Big-hearted.
NB: You will note I haven’t said ‘furious.’ Although Lexi is angry in the book, it’s not an abiding character trait, but a response to unjust treatment.
IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BOOK YOU CAN SHARE WITH US THAT ISN’T IN THE BLURB?
There are a few love scenes and an almost-death scene and a couple of parties and several laughs. Quite a lot of things get broken. Including hearts.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
When I start a project I like to go to local cafes and parks and write long-hand. I walk a lot and listen to strangers’ conversations and it all feeds the new material. Once I’m surer of the story and have enough material to begin organising chapters, I type at my desk overlooking the street. Writing is often lonely, so it’s nice to watch the world go by outside.
Thank you so much, Jennie Downham, for taking the time to answer these questions!
Furious Thing – Synopsis
Bad things happen when you’re around, Lex…
That’s what her stepfather tells her. That’s what she believes about herself.
But how can she convince herself and everyone around her that her anger doesn’t make her a monster? If only she could stop losing her temper and behave herself, her stepfather would accept her, her mom would love her like she used to, and her stepbrother would declare his crushing desire to spend the rest of his life with her. She wants these things so badly, she’s determined to swallow her anger and make her family proud.
But pushing fury down doesn’t make it disappear. Instead, it simmers below the surface, waiting to erupt. There’ll be fireworks when it does…
An intensely real story of manipulation and identity, Furious Thing is about the slippery slope of manipulation and how one girl can fight to claim back the spaces that belong to her.
BOOK DETAILS
- Author: Jenny Downham
- Publisher: David Fickling Books
- Release Date: January 7, 2020
- Book Length: 378 pages
- Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary
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About the Author – Jenny Downham
Jenny Downham is a critically acclaimed, international bestseller. Her debut novel, Before I Die, was shortlisted for numerous awards in the UK, including the Guardian Award and the Lancashire Children’s Book of the Year, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and won the Branford Boase Award.
Before I Die was turned into a movie called Now is Good starring Dakota Fanning in 2012. Her most recent novel, Unbecoming, garnered four starred reviews and was an Entertainment Weekly Must List pick. Jenny lives in London with her two sons.
