Good Reading for Young Adults caught up with the acclaimed author of A Hunger of Thorns, Lili Wilkinson, to discuss her latest novel, Deep Is the Fen, which is a bewitching journey that includes resistance witches and a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A bewitching journey behind the closed doors of a secret society, featuring sinister toadmen, resistance witches and a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance, from the acclaimed author of A Hunger of Thorns.
Merriwether Morgan doesn’t need a happily-ever-after. Her life in the idyllic town of Candlecott is fine just as it is: simple, happy, and with absolutely no magic. Magic only ever leads to trouble.
But Merry’s best friend, Teddy, is joining the Toadmen – a secret society upholding backward thinking and suspiciously supernatural traditions – and she is determined to stop him. Even if it means teaming up with her academic arch-nemesis, Caraway Boswell, an ice-cold snob who hides his true face behind a glamour.
An ancient Toad ritual is being held in the nightmarish Deeping Fen, and if Merry doesn’t rescue Teddy, she’ll lose him forever. But the further she travels into Deeping Fen’s foul waters, the more Merry wonders if she can possibly save her friend – or if she’s walking straight into a trap.
Because there’s nothing the Toadmen love more than a damsel in distress . . .
Q&A WITH LILI WILKINSON
What inspired your latest novel Deep Is the Fen?
Two things:
When researching A Hunger of Thorns, I learnt about the Order of Toadmen, a Scottish horseman’s fraternity with some very odd traditions … and some pretty misogynistic undertones. I decided to make it bigger and more culty. I’ve written about cults and cultishness before (mainly in The Boundless Sublime), and it’s a topic I’ll always come back to, because I’m fascinated by the ways in which belief can be used to control people.
I read a news article in 2016 about self-proclaimed witches in the US putting hexes and curses on Donald Trump. They called themselves resistance witches, which was a term that stuck in my brain. I wrote my PhD thesis on resistance and activism in YA, so it felt entirely natural that resistance witches would be the obvious foil to the corrupt Toadmen.
This novel returns to the same world as A Hunger of Thorns – what can readers expect to see a return of?
Deep is the Fen is a standalone novel, but fans of A Hunger of Thorns can expect more perfect cottagecore towns hiding grim secrets, more glamours, more plant-based magic and weird monsters. There’s also one cameo from Thorns for eagle-eyed readers.
How did writing this novel compare to A Hunger of Thorns?
So much easier! The worldbuilding was all (mostly) done, so that helped a lot. I’ve described writing A Hunger of Thorns as like getting lost in the woods – I kept wandering down different paths. I was a lot more disciplined with Deep is the Fen. It’s more of a straightforward adventure too, with a strong enemies-to-lovers romance.
What can you tell us about the Toadmen and what’s the secret society’s significance in this story?
At Sydney Writers Festival last year, a student asked me if I was worried that my feminist themes might mean that some people won’t like my books. I said no, because if you don’t like feminist themes, my books are just not for you. The Toadmen draw on many real life organisations, from the aforementioned Scottish fraternity to Freemasons and Morris dancers. I love writing about these organisations and communities that seem quite cosy on the outside, but hide deep, ugly truths about power and corruption.
How did you go about creating the Deeping Fen?
I did a lot of research into various kinds of wetlands – fens, swamps, bogs etc. Into the kinds of plants and animals you might find there. Scent is really important to my writing, so I went on some nature walks. I love the idea that this huge stone fortress might be hiding in the marshy wildnerness, and that the fortress contains both unimaginable luxuries, and unimaginable horrors.
How did you go about developing Merry and Caraway’s enemies-to-lovers romance?
I knew I wanted Merry to be very different to Maude from A Hunger of Thorns. Merry is confident (sometimes too confident), bossy and very sure of who she is. She’s a practical country girl. So her love interest had to be totally different. An uptight, secretive city boy who comes from a cold family of extreme wealth.
Who are some authors or books that have inspired you?
I’m hugely inspired by Diana Wynne Jones, the way she blends real worlds with imaginary ones, and populates them with deeply relatable characters. Garth Nix is also amazing at this. I love fantasy with strong characters and thrilling romances – Amie Kaufman, CS Pacat and Sarah Rees Brennan are absolute masters.
What did you find most challenging or rewarding about writing this novel?
I genuinely loved writing this one. I loved returning to Anglyon and the world of A Hunger of Thorns – it’s such a fun world and I would love to write more books set there. I also loved writing about Merry, Teddy and Sol’s friendship, and how friendships can change over time. The song ‘Little Lights’ that’s featured in the book was a really fun challenge – I wrote the song with my husband who is a musician, and even performed the backing vocal! You can find it on your music platform of choice – Little Lights by Fourth Floor Collapse.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lili Wilkinson is the award-winning author of nineteen books for children and teenagers, including A Hunger of Thorns, After the Lights Go Out, The Erasure Initiative and How To Make A Pet Monster. Lili established the Inky Awards at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, and lives in Melbourne with her partner, child, dog and three chickens.
Visit Lili Wilkinson’s website
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