Christine Anne Foley: 'Bodies came to me out of pure exhaustion and frustration'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
11th Jul 2024
We spoke to former Writing Your Novel student Christine Anne Foley about her path to publication and the inspiration behind her deliciously dark and subversive debut Bodies, out now from John Murray Press.
You studied on our six-month Writing Your Novel course in London in 2015. How did studying with us impact your approach to writing?
I came to Curtis Brown just after I’d finished my Masters and I was really ready to fine tune the draft I’d been working on. The course really allowed me to do that. The six months in London helped me find my voice and made me confident to take risks and the determination to keep going. The course also taught me so much about the industry and what I learned was invaluable.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
Absolutely! The course introduced me to other writers who were on the same journey as I was and we are all still friends and supporting each other through social media.
Your debut novel Bodies is out now with John Murray Press. Described as ‘the It Girl book of the year’, the novel deals with themes of toxic relationships, abuse and control. Can you tell us a bit more about the book and the inspiration behind it?
Bodies is all about the female experience. The book follows Charlotte’s relationships with men throughout her life, from her early teens to her early thirties. The book explores themes like gaslighting, love bombing and cheating, themes I feel a large female readership will relate to. It’s also about what is done to women’s bodies and the lasting impact of trauma. It’s a novel filled with rage and anger, but it is also a novel that explores vulnerability and how in a world where women are treated like objects, there is still a tenderness to our experiences. Bodies came to me out of pure exhaustion and frustration. As a 30-year-old woman I realised that the relationships of my teens and early 20s were not as insignificant and irrelevant as I was told. I started to understand that our early experiences create the narrative for our future and that early toxicity or abuse shapes us. I also wanted to discuss bodily autonomy and challenge female stereotypes by creating a female protagonist who would stay with the reader long after they finished the novel.”
Bodies has been compared to the likes of Boy Parts by Eliza Clark and Exile by Aimeé Walsh. Did you read widely within the literary fiction genre whilst working on the novel?
I try to read as widely as possible and outside the genre I write in, but I have to say, when I was writing Bodies I definitely read within the literary genre specifically. I am particularly keen on Female Irish writers so books like Megan Nolan’s Acts of Desperation and Susannah Dickey’s Tennis Lessons, were hugely inspirational.
Alongside writing fiction, you have also written and produced your very own play! Would you ever adapt Bodies for the stage?
I’m pretty keen to get a play on stage again and seeing Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts being adapted has made me feel that Bodies could do the same. Watch this space!
What advice would you give to anyone reading this who is considering applying for a creative writing course?
Working alongside other writers in an intimate workshop space is so beneficial to your practice and if you can do it on person that’s even better. Curtis Brown Creative have such a wide and varied selection of courses, there’s something for everybody.
Are there any books on your summer TBR that you’re really excited about?
Madeline Docherty’s Gender Theory and Aimee Walsh’s Exile have me very excited but I’m really holding out for Sally Rooney’s publication in September, I believe the hype!
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I am currently working on book two and while I feel there’s an added layer of pressure now, I’m also really loving it. Writing will be something I continue to do and hopefully people will keep reading!
Win a copy of Bodies + a place on our 30-Day Writing Bootcamp!
We've teamed up with John Murray Press to give one lucky winner the ultimate hot girl summer reading and writing bundle! To celebrate the publication of the ‘It Girl’ book of the year Bodies, we’re giving away one copy of the book, plus a free place on our 30-Day Writing Bootcamp! Competition ends Mon 15 Jul.
Bodies is out now!
The books linked in this blog can be found on our Bookshop.org shop front. Curtis Brown Creative receive 10% whenever someone buys from our bookshop.org page.