I was born in Northampton in 1973, and grew up in a small town called Wolverton. Living opposite the railway works and next door to a motorbike garage, I longed for a different life – one of wild flowers and brambles, ditches and streams, of rock pools and seaweed, wet shells and tumbled glass. I dreamed of ramshackle cottages in gnarly forests. And haunted stately homes where murders were likely to happen.
The Bone Hunters
In 1824, Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. Wealthy holidaymakers dance in the Assembly Rooms whilst the poor riot over the price of bread, scientists do battle with theologists, and amidst it all, one woman is about to make an extraordinary discovery.
When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters – poor, peculiar and brilliant – uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family’s financial struggles.
Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he desires.
But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it be their means to greatness, or destruction?
‘What people are saying…’
‘In Ada, Joanne Burn has given us a singular and astonishing heroine: a woman of strength, intelligence, resilience and resource; a woman who sees the restrictions the world would impose upon her and has the moral courage to step beyond them…I’ve never met a character in literature quite like Ada – or one I admired more.’
Annie Garthwaite, author of ‘Cecily’
‘The Bone Hunters is a beautiful and extraordinary book, bringing to life a time and place in breathtaking detail and lyrical prose. I fell in love with Ada from the first page.’
Elizabeth Lee, author of ‘Cunning Women’
‘The Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn’s place as one of my favourite writers. Ada had the same magical combination of vulnerability and grit as the ‘Marsh Girl’ in Where the Crawdads Sing. This is a gripping and beautifully written tale of a woman fighting for her worth to be recognised. Like the fossils she loves, Ada will leave a lasting impression.’
Sonia Velton, author of ‘Blackberry and Wild Rose’
‘Joanne Burn is fast becoming my go-to historical fiction writer. The writing is both beautiful and brutal, the pace an incredibly tense, deftly-handled unearthing of something monstrous. A tale of hardships and social misfits and finding liberty in a world designed to deny it.’
Emma Carroll, author of ‘Return to the River Sea’
‘The Bone Hunters is a rich and compelling novel that simultaneously illuminates one fascinating element of history, while fully immersing you in early 19th century life more broadly. Ada Winters is everything I like in a protagonist – eccentric, driven, brave and engaging – and the plot takes you in unexpected and continually rewarding directions.’
Katie Lumsden, author of ‘The Secrets of Hartwood Hall’
‘A perfect historical novel. The Bonehunters is a novel of resistance, of non-conformity; a celebration of passion and curiosity and a glorious tribute to all those truthseekers locked out of the hallowed halls of learning for being the wrong sex or class. I absolutely adored it.
Nikki Marmery, author of ‘Lillith’
The Hemlock Cure
It is 1665 and the women of Eyam keep many secrets.
Isabel Frith, the village midwife, walks a dangerous line with her herbs and remedies. There are men in the village who speak of witchcraft, and Isabel has a past to hide. So she tells nobody her fears about Wulfric, the pious, reclusive apothecary.
Mae, Wulfric’s youngest daughter, dreads her father’s rage if he discovers what she keeps from him. Like her feelings for Rafe, Isabel’s ward, or the fact that she studies from Wulfric’s books at night.
But others have secrets too. Secrets darker than any of them could have imagined.
When Mae makes a horrifying discovery, Isabel is the only person she can turn to. But helping Mae will place them both in unimaginable peril.
And meanwhile another danger is on its way from London. One that threatens to engulf them all . . .
Based on the real history of an English village during the Great Plague, The Hemlock Cure is an utterly beguiling tale of fear and ambition, betrayal, self-sacrifice and the unbreakable bond between two women.
‘What people are saying…’
‘Spellbinding and profound, The Hemlock Cure is a dazzling act of reclamation of the truth of women’s lives. Burn writes beautifully about female courage and retribution, of the ties that make and bind a family, and different ways of belonging. This is a compassionate and intensely moving novel that is rich in meaning and hugely resonant for our own plague-struck era.’
Nikki Marmery, author of ‘On Wilder Seas’
‘An exquisitely written tale of resilience and reckoning, with female protagonists that are just the right blend of compassion and simmering rebellion’
Sonia Velton, author of ‘Blackberry and Wild Rose’
‘In a wholly original take on the Eyam story, Joanne Burn’s elegant prose, rich in authentic detail, results in a rewarding and timely read.’
Sarah Burton, author of ‘The Strange Adventures of H’
‘Deeply unsettling, tense, yet ultimately hopeful, The Hemlock Cure sweeps the reader up into its potions, scents, colours and secrets. It is affecting and beautifully observed – a mesmerising novel.’
Rosie Andrews, author of ‘The Leviathan’
‘An intricate, detailed and beautifully written story of the women of Eyam. It’s vivid and poetic, powerfully building tension as their secrets unravel.’
Jennifer Saint, Sunday times bestselling author of ‘Ariadne’
Petals and Stones
When Uma discovers her husband’s infidelity just hours before his untimely death, the carefully woven threads of her life begin to unravel.
Struggling to manage the grief of those around her, she escapes to a remote cottage by the coast where she swims in the winter sea, cooks the forgotten Keralan dishes of her childhood and begins the search for her husband’s lover.
It isn’t long before Uma realises what she must do to pick up the tattered threads of her life. But will her choices jeopardise the only family she has left?
‘What people are saying…’
‘Petals and Stones is a book that gets off the blocks at 100 miles per hour – it’s a brilliant opening set-up that well and truly draws us into the story from the outset….This is a real snatch every five minutes you can, ignore your family, stay up far too late reading, book….Petals and Stones is an open-hearted story full of fully drawn, flawed but lovable characters….There isn’t a cliché in sight, and the book’s real strengths are its tolerance of shortcomings and differences, and its understanding of just how difficult it can be to lead a fulfilling life… I was drawn in by the fantastic opening premise, but I stayed for the insightful reflection.’
The Sheffield Telegraph Book Club Review
Frequently Asked Questions
Did you always want to be a writer?
Like so many other writers, I discovered my love of writing when I was very young. I wrote poetry and short stories as a child and teenager; it’s how I made sense of the world. I was delighted when my teacher in primary school bound one of my stories into a ‘proper book’ and read it to the class at the end of the school day. My first audience! I could not have been happier.
There were many years (my twenties, mainly, when I was a mother of young children) when I hardly wrote at all. But even when I wasn’t writing, I was aware of the lack. And it was like part of me – an essential part – was missing.
Do you have a favourite author?
There are so many authors that I admire, and so many books that I love. I couldn’t possibly pick just one. Top of my list would be Michelle Paver, Claire Fuller, Shirley Jackson, Celeste Ng, Diane Setterfield, Tayari Jones, Alison Moore, Fiona Mozley, Oyinkan Braithwaite. Also P.D. James, Sarah Winman, Margaret Atwood, Sarah Waters, Jim Crace, Helen Macdonald.
What are your favourite books?
Recent favourites have been Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens), Small Pleasures (Clare Chambers), Everything I Never Told You (Celeste Ng), Hamnet (Maggie O’Farrell), My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Ottessa Moshfegh), Wintering (Katherine May), Pine (Francine Toon), Piranesi (Susanna Clarke), The Harpy (Megan Hunter), Grief is the thing with Feathers (Max Porter).
What inspires your writing?
This is such a difficult question to answer, because I don’t think we’re always consciously aware of what inspires us. Feelings and emotions influence my writing. History is compelling – the idea of moments past, objects lost, and whose story gets remembered. I’ve always been drawn to the dark side – I love a sense of the gothic, a haunted story. The gift of nature comes through in my writing time after time, without me ever really intending it – the beauty, enormity and power of the elements. I’m inspired by a search for meaning, by struggle and recovery. And I’m inspired by the endless nudge of creativity – how, as a species, we are constantly making and breaking and remaking things.
Where do you get your ideas from?
My ideas come slowly, in snippets, often over quite long periods of time. I’ve learned to listen carefully for inspiration; I can’t remember who said that inspiration never shouts, it always whispers. I’ve found that to be true for me. I’ll often start with just a ‘moment’ in someone’s life, or the idea of a particular kind of relationship. I’ll make a note of it, and if it keeps coming back to me, and I find myself mulling it over, fleshing it out over time, then I know it has potential. Some ideas take years to become fully formed. Having said that, the idea for the novel I’m currently working on came together very quickly – over just a few months.
What is your writing routine?
I naturally wake up early, and so tend to get some exercise and stretching in first thing (essential for writers who spend too much time sitting at a desk!). I’m usually ready to write at 8am. I work best during the first part of the day, but if it’s going well I’ll keep writing into the afternoon. I work as a writing coach, and have to factor in blocks of time for that. Quite often I’m reading other people’s manuscripts, and I’ll put aside a full week to concentrate on their work. So, it’s not unusual for a week or so to go by without me writing at all, but generally speaking I write most days. I usually have the weekends away from my desk, and ostensibly away from writing altogether. But I’m never truly away from it – it’s always swilling around in my mind.
How do you write
when you’re not in the mood?
I have a few things I try when I’m feeling sluggish and disconnected from my work in progress. I might go out for a walk and think through where I’m at with it – what scene needs to be written next. I might ask myself why I’m struggling with it. I’ll consider that there may be something ‘wrong’ with the scene – an aspect of it that my subconscious is objecting to. I might ‘free-write’ around the issue. I often get big sheets of paper and felt pens and brainstorm a moment / scene / character. Basically, I’ll free it all up by coming at it another way (any way!). Other times I just sit down at my desk and force myself to write. So often it’s a case of ‘writing myself into it’. Most of the time I find my flow after a little bit of tough love. Occasionally, I give up and go and make a cup of tea, watch a film, lie under a blanket. I’ve learned that sometimes my brain just wants a break from words. And that’s okay!
Can writing be taught?
Writing technique can be taught, and can dramatically improve the quality of our writing. But the only way we become writers is by writing. It is only ever through putting words on the page that we find our voice, and hone our craft. We must make mistakes, and plenty of them. My experience has been that there are always new things to learn – layers of learning that are best absorbed at different stages of a writer’s experience. Lots of this can certainly come from external sources (fellow writers, books, courses) but some of it we can only really discover for ourselves, through the process itself.
Any top tips for budding writers?
You matter, and your writing matters; nobody else can write what you will write. Expect your writing to be rubbish in the beginning, and during the early stages of any new writing project, because that’s how it works. Expect doubt, contradiction and insecurity; read nothing into these things. Write regardless of how you feel about life, yourself or what you’re producing, because that is what will make you a writer. Be tough with yourself when you need to be tough – keep disciplined in order to get your words onto the page. But also be kind to yourself: rest, play, and laugh about it.