Tell me about your new book, Fire
It’s narrated by a woman in her mid-30s: a surgeon and a paedophile. She seeks out 14-year-old boys, seduces them, then discards them. In the book we learn what led her to this place in her life and why she acts as she does.
It’s part of The Elements series, following Water (2023) and Earth (2024), with Air to come next year. What’s the overarching concept?
To look at sexual abuse from four different angles. Water is narrated by someone who has enabled abuse. Earth by someone who’s complicit in it. Fire by an abuser. Air by a victim.
You’ve called it ‘the most difficult and emotionally draining to write’
A female paedophile is the most complex narrator I’ve created. Living with Freya in my head became quite difficult at times. I think it’s the strongest of the four novellas, but I was glad to leave her behind.
Complicity is a theme in much of your work. You have written for The Irish Times about abuse you suffered at school. Your abuser was charged but died before he could face trial. Is there catharsis in writing fiction about abuse?
Absolutely. There was a group of us taking that teacher to court, and his death denied us the opportunity to stand in the witness box and describe the damage he inflicted. It was only after the John McClean trial in 2021, and with the help of a therapist, that I fully began to understand the effect my abuser’s actions had on my mental, emotional and sexual wellbeing. Had I been able to deal with that earlier, my life might have been very different – happier certainly; less lonely – but somehow it took three decades. After A History of Loneliness and The Elements sequence, however, I feel I’m ready to move on.
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[ John Boyne: I was abused at Terenure College, but not by John McCleanOpens in new window ]
What are the different dynamics at play in a novella, as opposed to a short story or novel?
I’ve written a lot of long novels – The Heart’s Invisible Furies is 2,000 words longer than Moby-Dick! – and wanted to write something really tight. The first drafts all weighed in at about 60,000 words but finished at 40,000 so I had to cut, cut, cut, which, as every writer knows, is the key to good writing.
You are a very online author, while others have retreated from what has become an increasingly hostile space. What is the attraction or compulsion?
I don’t think I am! I rarely spend more than 10 minutes on social media on any given day. Honestly, I don’t care about it any more. I thank people who say nice things about my books, ignore those who attack, and promote my books and readings.
You review regularly for The Irish Times. Is it hard for an author with skin in the game to critique one’s peers honestly?
No, and if I felt differently, I wouldn’t do it. I try to review books that I genuinely think I’m going to like. I’ve reviewed books by friends and, occasionally, by antagonists but across more than 120 reviews, there’s only one that I regret. I believe I have enough integrity to say what I think without fear or favour.
You are one of the most successful Irish authors and one of the most prolific. What drives you?
An absolute and indestructible love of writing. It gives my entire life meaning. I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve produced over the last 32 years. Books and writing sustain me in the way food and water do.
[ John Boyne: ‘I am not a provocateur. I don’t seek to hurt people’Opens in new window ]
Does the happiness or stability of your personal life affect your work?
No. My two favourite books of my own are The Heart’s Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky, and I wrote both of them when I was going through the most painful experience of my life.
Which projects are you working on?
Would it surprise you if I said I’ve started work on a new novel?
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?
I’ve visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam probably a dozen times and always find something new there. It draws me back time and again.
What is the best writing advice you have heard?
“Write every day, even Christmas Day” – Malcolm Bradbury, University of East Anglia, 1994.
Who do you admire the most?
My parents.
You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?
I’d abolish literary awards. While it’s always nice to be shortlisted for something, I think the awards culture in general is unhealthy. Art isn’t sport; it shouldn’t be competitive.
Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?
I think it’s been an incredible year for Irish debuts. Between them, Fiona McPhillips, Oisín McKenna and Alan Murrin produced three of my favourite books of 2024.
The most remarkable place you have visited?
Auschwitz.
Your most treasured possession?
I don’t really care about possessions. I’d survive without any of them.
What is the most beautiful book that you own?
A three-volume, box-set Folio Society edition of Dante’s The Divine Comedy.
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
JK Rowling, EM Forster, LP Hartley. Anyone with initials, basically.
What is your favourite quotation?
“Praise makes me humble. But when I am abused I know I have touched the stars.” (Oscar Wilde)
A book to make me laugh?
David Lodge – Changing Places.
A book that might move me to tears?
Any book by Édouard Louis.
Fire is published by Doubleday
