Tuesday 3 December 2013

Book Club: Response From Dawn Farnham

Dawn Farnham, author of the November book club pick A Crowd Of Twisted Things, has e-mailed with her response to the discussion summarised in the previous post - scroll down if you want to read it.

I asked Dawn if she'd mind if I shared her e-mail, and she gave permission, so here it is:

“The discussion of Twisted is interesting. It is always great for an author to get readers’ viewpoints and see how your own processes get interpreted.  Your comment on Annie's belief that Ronald tried to kill her being part of mis-memory is very interesting. She has taken the trauma of her shooting and put it on the man she hates, Ronald. I hadn't got that wrinkle in mind, but it is very intriguing and does add a layer of richness to the story. 
My sympathies being with Aminah:  This too is an interesting take. Actually I had no particular sympathy with either side. I did, however, want to present Aminah in a light which was quite different to the vilifications she received at the time. She was painted as an illiterate, greedy maid who was manipulating Maria for her own ends and I wanted to clear that up. And also see Adeline as a woman under great strain as the Japanese occupied her life, a woman quite capable of giving away a child, especially given the prevailing attitudes in Asian families about the value of girl children."