In this episode Anna and Sam talk to Susan Allott about writing a thriller and how Australia has influenced her writing.
Susan Allott grew up on the south coast of England, then moved north to study English at Leeds University. In her late twenties she travelled to Australia, where she found work and settled for a while, despite her overwhelming homesickness. When she eventually returned to the UK, by strange coincidence, she met an Australian man who she went on to marry.
Susan’s debut novel, The Silence, is a literary thriller set in Australia, in which she tackles some of the issues around migration and colonialism that had been nagging at her since her time living in Sydney. The Silence was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger award 2021 and was described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘emotionally wrenching.’
Her second novel will be published in summer 2023. She lives in south London with her children and her very Australian husband.
