We enjoy discovering intriguing debut novels, so after
penning our thoughts about ‘Nobody But Us’ by Laurie Van Rensburg, we had a few
questions.
“Prescient and jarring, this unexpected and
unheralded debut novel takes the current #MeToo and male-female dynamic and
refracts them through a dark prism making the reader question what is real and
what is artifice.
One has to atone for past sins, or does one?
That is the question for the reader, as is the adage ‘does retribution amount
to atonement’?
The reader must consider that when other eyes
are viewing the proceedings of our lives; are our friends, our lovers, and our
acquaintances really that friendly?
I have to leave a warning.
This novel is disturbing, nay, distressing –
but well worth the journey”
Read the full Shots Magazine Review HERE
We tracked the author down vis her publishers PenguinRandomHouse
to learn a little more about this startling debut novel for our readers -
Ali: Welcome Laure Van Rensburg
to Shots Magazine, so firstly tell us a little about yourself.
Laure: Even
though I have a very Dutch sounding surname I’m actually French. I moved to the
UK after I finished university in Paris and never went back. I now live outside
London with my rescue cat, Phoebe.
Nobody But Us is my
debut novel however I have been writing on and off since I was a child. I
stopped writing for a while after I moved to the UK because my French wasn’t
strong enough anymore to write in French but my English wasn’t good enough to
write in English, so I spent a few years in some kind of writer’s limbo.
I’m a big film buff so when
I’m not writing you can usually find me at the cinema, or watching classics on
Prime (I love old films from the 40s and 50s such as The Big Sleep, Notorious
or All About Eve…)
Ali: And so, what were the
early books that made an impression?
Laure: I still remember the first book I read as a kid that didn’t have pictures: Les Malheurs De Sophie (Sophie’s Misfortunes) by La Comtesse de Ségur. Another big turn in my reading childhood was The Hound of The Baskervilles, I read it under the cover after lights out because I just had to know what happened next, although my mother wasn’t thrilled to hear that I was falling asleep in class as a result. That book was my first taste of darker fiction.
Ali: And of contemporary work,
what would consider the work that engages you currently?
Laure: I am
a big fan of Chris Whitaker’s writing. He knows how to create a moving crime
story, populate with unforgettable characters, and all wrapped up in a
beautiful prose. We Begin At The End is one of the most devastating and
heart breaking novels I’ve read in a long time. I’ve read all of his books, and
the next one cannot come soon enough!
Another contemporary writer
who I immensely enjoy is Catriona Ward. I am attracted to how she blends
beautiful prose with horror stories which are still deeply human. I have her
debut, Rawblood on my reading pile; I’m saving it for a special occasion
as I’ve already read all her other books.
Finally, I can’t talk about
contemporary work without mentioning Gillian
Flynn. Her work has been a big influence on my writing in general and Nobody
But Us in particular. I enjoy her portrayal of deeply flawed female
characters and how she is not afraid to make them the heroine of their own
stories.
Ali: And you path to
publication with the Michael Joseph imprint at Penguin Random House?
Laure: I
have a first novel in a drawer which I submitted to agents without success,
although I did get lots of complimentary comments about my writing. The
rejections stung, but after a short time wallowing, I picked myself off the
floor and got on with my second novel which would become Nobody But Us.
After eighteen months of writing and editing, I started submitting to agents.
That was back in December 2019. By March 2019 I was lucky to have three offers
of representation, including my dream agent who is now my agent, Juliet
Mushens.
I did a couple of rounds of
editing with Juliet, before Nobody But Us went out on submission to publishers
(the title at that time was The Downfall). The whole process was an
absolute rollercoaster and I am so grateful I had Juliet there to keep me sane
and talk me through everything. We got quite a bit of interest within 24 hours
from UK and foreign publishers, and ended up going to auction in the UK and the
US. When I spoke with Clio Cornish, at Michael Joseph it felt right. Clio was
so passionate about the story and the characters and I really like the vision
she had for the book.
Ali: And were conscious of the
backdrop of NOBODY BUT US, with the ‘#Metoo movement?
Laure: That
was a very deliberate choice. The #MeToo movement has open the door for women
to share and discuss their experiences. I was on Twitter that day and it was a
humbling moment realising that we weren’t alone and we all shared the same
lived experiences. I believe that those subjects can be explored in different
ways and media, including novels, or films, such as Promising Young Woman. I wanted
to talk about situations I believe most women have experienced in one shape or
another and the anger of feeling powerless against those, but put it in a
format I know how to write — that is psychological suspense.
Another big motivator to write
this book was to explore how women’s rage and anger is often dismissed and
brushed aside as being overly emotional. I wanted to create a story where I
could legitimise those feelings, and pose the question — how far would you go
if this happened to you or someone close? I’m not trying to provide an answer
though, but a opportunity for discussions.
Ali: I know much is made of
NOBODY BUT US being an audacious debut novel however I enjoyed your previous
short fiction, currently available on your website > https://www.laurevanrensburg.com/short-stories-online so
tell us a little about the context to your short fiction, and why you decided
to write a novel?
Laure: Thank
you! Funny enough I never really set out to write short stories in the first place. My mind was set on novel writing from the start. I have a first novel in
a drawer that didn’t find an agent, and around the time I was editing it I had
an idea for a story but not enough for a full novel so I ended up writing my
first short story as an exercise to practise my editing skills as you have to
make sure that every word counts. The ideas kept coming so I wrote more
stories. I wasn’t sure what to do with them. I thought why not try to get them
published. Submitting short stories and flash fiction was a really good lesson
as well about learning to handle rejections.
Unfortunately, between the
full-time day job and the full-time novel writing I haven’t had the chance to
write more short stories. I do miss it and I hope I can get back to it when
things settle.
Ali: And would like to give our
readers a little peek into what’s next in store for us?
Laure: I’m
currently editing my next book which is another psychological suspense, again with
feminist themes and undertones, set in South Carolina, this time during a
blistering summer. The story centres around a religious cult who lives in a
disused hotel/plantation house by the swamp. It opens with the aftermath of a
fire which has claimed the lives of the leader and his wife. The story flicks
back and forth, pre and post fire.
Ali: Thank you for your time.
Laure: Thank you for having me!
Shots Magazine would like to thank Jen Harlow
of PenguinRandomHouse, London for organising this interview.
More information on the work of Laure Van Rensburg is
available from >
https://www.laurevanrensburg.com
https://www.instagram.com/laurevanrensburg
http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/book_reviews_view.aspx?BOOK_REVIEW_ID=2672
No comments:
Post a Comment