Jennie Godfrey's debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, is published by Hutchinson Heinneman on 15 February 2024.
Jennie kindly answered a few of my questions.
1. Tell us a little about The List of Suspicious Things.
The List of Suspicious Things is set in 1970's West Yorkshire, and it's the story of twelve-year-old Miv, whose homelife isn't the best. Money is tight, her mum is ill in a way she doesn't yet understand, Margaret Thatcher has just become Prime Minister, and underneath all of this is the background of fear created by the murders of women which have been happening over the past few years.
When Miv's dad threatens to move the family 'down south' she decides that she will be the one to solve the murders and ropes her best friend Sharon to help. The two of them create a list of all the things and people they find suspicious in their neighbourhood and investigate them one by one, inevitably uncovering all the secrets of their small town.
2. What inspired the book?
One of my most vivid childhood memories is of the day that Peter Sutcliffe was arrested, as it became apparent very quickly that my dad knew him (and had in fact worked alongside him for some time). Not only do I remember the murders haunting my own childhood, but I realise now how close he came to my family. I was reminded of this a few years ago by the BBC2 documentary 'The Yorkshire Ripper Files' which did an incredible job of reflecting the culture of the time, and I realised I wanted to write about it.
3. Do you plan before you start writing or do you sit down and see where the words take you?
I'm definitely a combination of both. I love structure, and am a planner by nature, but I found when I was writing the book that sometimes the characters have ideas of their own. I learned to go with that, setting aside/redrawing the plan when needed.
4. Is there anything about the process of publishing a book that surprised you?
Pretty much everything to be honest! But if I had to name one thing it would be the time that everything takes. When I first got my book deal (in May 2022) I wondered what on earth we all would be doing until publication (February 2024) and yet I have been busy almost all of that time, as has my publisher. It takes way more work than I realised to launch a book.
5. What do you do when you aren't writing? What do you do to relax and get away from it all?
This may sound counter intuitive – but in order to relax and get away from it all I read. I always say I am a reader first and as writer second, and I tend to read books that I couldn't have/wouldn't have written so that it keeps the two worlds separate.
6. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life which book would it be?
Persuasion. I have read it multiple times in my life, and I always get something new from it, along with a load of comfort. It is an incredible book in all sorts of ways.
7. I like to end my Q&As with the same question so here we go. During all the Q&As and interviews you've done what question have you not been asked that you wish had been asked – and what's the answer?
What's your favourite non-fiction book? I would love to be asked this because it allows me to rave about Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden-Keefe, which is just the most phenomenal book about the opioid crisis in the US, and the family who were at the centre of it. It reads like a novel/family saga and yet is rigorously researched and written. I love it.
About the Book
Yorkshire, 1979
Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.
Because of the murders.
Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?
So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don't.
But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families - and between each other - than they ever thought possible.
What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
You can buy a copy of the book here.
(This is an affiliate link. You can also purchase The List of Suspicious Things from your local independent bookshop.)
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