I Remember Everything by FIONA WILKES is the story of a young queer woman named Billie, who finds herself and her found family in 1980’s London, but loses everything in the devastating AIDS crisis. This is a heartbreaking book about the strength to love deeply.

Read on for a Q&A with the author.

MEET FIONA WILKES

What sparked the idea for I Remember Everything?

A few things came together to help this book start to take shape in my head. I was looking for a book to read that would combine queer history, the experiences of queer women throughout that history, and the intensity of queer friendship. I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for, so I decided to write it!

What was your research process like, and did you visit any of the places featured in the book?

I was born in Suffolk and lived in different parts of the U.K. until I was eight, before my family and I moved to Australia. When I was twenty, I undertook a 6-month university exchange in Bristol. A lot of the first part of the novel draws inspiration from these experiences. In regards to the research about the time period and the experiences of queer folk during this time, I read as widely as I possibly could and used every possible resource to my advantage in order to try to make the book feel as authentic as I could.

Who are some authors or artists that inspire you?

I’m a big fan of writers who also make visual art. It has a huge impact on their writing and, I think, makes it all the more visceral and moving. People like Patti Smith, David Wojnarowicz, Derick Jarman and Eve Babitz have been my most-read of the past few years for this reason.

I’m also a huge fan of writers like Olivia Laing, Isabel Allende, Jeanette Winterson and Andre Aciman, as well as poets like Mary Oliver, Ocean Vuong and Frank O’Hara, amongst others. I’m a big reader so my list could go on forever!

This story is set in the 1980’s AIDS epidemic, a devastating time for gay people, but do we experience any stories of London’s earlier LGBTQ+ history? For example, does Billie hear what it was like to live through the Stonewall Riots?

Billie forges connections with several older queer characters in the novel and learns about the queer London of the 40s, 50s and 60s through them. While it is not explicitly mentioned in the novel, Billie also would have learned about Stonewall and the queer scene in New York through conversations with her friends and through the activism she participates in during her later years.

Without too many spoilers, can you describe the relationship between Billie and Laura? How does Laura captivate her so deeply?

Laura and Billie are one another’s safety net from early childhood. They both come from somewhat unstable families and cling to one another even when they begin to make other friends. The intensity of their friendship comes from that need for safety and acceptance, which they don’t get from anybody except one another. It’s tricky to untangle yourself from a relationship like that, whether you want to or not!

Billie embraces a newfound family in this book, and loves and loses multiple people. Who was your favourite character to write in I Remember Everything?

Robert is just so much fun. He’s so sexy and flamboyant and all-round camp! I just adored writing him. If I could bring any of these characters to life, I think it would have to be Robert. We need someone like him in these trying times!

The AIDS epidemic is deeply tragic history for the LGBTQ+ community. Was it confronting addressing these events that happened only a few generations ago? How did you mediate this sorrow in your writing?

It was incredibly confronting. I often had to take a break from writing to sit with this history and the legacy that my generation of queer folk have inherited. We have missed out on so much by not having so many incredible people to look up to as a result of this horrendous disease. I did my best to balance this sorrow with the knowledge that the stories of that generation need to be remembered and repeated. My book is my very small way of acknowledging those who have come before me and to say, ‘I see you, I love you and I’m so grateful to you.’ That helped me get it done.

What do you hope every reader takes away from this book?

I hope readers think about their place in queer history, even if they don’t identify as queer themselves. Queer history doesn’t run parallel to other histories, it intersects with them at every stage. We are part of you. My hope is that queer readers will know that they are not alone, and their lives do not exist in a vacuum. We have always been here. I hope that straight readers will consider the experiences of these characters and look after the queer folk in their lives and in their communities. We need allies as much now as we did back then, and I hope this story urges all readers to think about the part they can play in looking out for each other.

What is next for you?

More writing, more researching, more teaching, more living!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fiona Wilkes is a writer, researcher and educator, specialising in English and Literary Studies. Her work has been published locally, nationally and internationally, and has garnered attention from several literary awards.

Born in the United Kingdom, Fiona now lives and works in Perth, Western Australia, on unceded Whadjuk Noongar land.

Her debut novel, I Remember Everything, was shortlisted for the 2024 Hungerford Award.

Follow Fiona Wilkes on Instagram