Author Interview

26 Apr 2010 4 Comments

by Leeann Nolan in Uncategorized

A conversation between Jade McLeod, the central character of the novel Open Cut, and author Leeann Nolan.

You are a 44 year old woman, how are you going to write about a girl who is 15-16 years old?

Well, believe it or not, I was that age once. I’m also a teacher and so I’m around young people constantly, so I have a good idea of how they talk and what sorts of things concern them. I also have a daughter, who is now 23, and I saw her go through similar experiences to those I had as a teenager. In order to write the novel, and to get into the head space of a young girl, I will try and remember what being that age was like: the insecurities I felt about wanting people to like me, wanting to fit in and be part of a group. These issues are not new. I think that there is a need in every person who feels insecure and lonely, to belong to a group. It’s part of our humanity. Fundamentally I don’t think this changes. The context, suburb, state, decade may change, but the emotions one feels are the same. Strong emotions are what make Shakespeare still relevant today – anger, jealousy, fear, love – we all feel them. When we get older perhaps we get better at masking them, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still feel them. When I shut my eyes I am still in my bedroom at Sandgate, hating my mother and all my teachers, who I felt constantly picked on me. We don’t forget some things are etched on our minds forever. Perhaps that is why mistakes are repeated; because adults pretend that these things didn’t happen ‘in our day’. We try to forget, suffering from cultural amnesia, but the memories are there.

What of your own experiences will you draw upon to write the novel?

I grew up in a town called Sandgate, on the north side of Brisbane. It was predominately a working class area back in the late 70s and 80s, though it has become quite gentrified in the last ten to fifteen years. Twenty years ago it was very much like Moranbah. The people I hung around were similar to people in the mining town. I was friends with a group of boys who referred to themselves as ‘The Brighton Boys’, some of them were quite rough, I suppose. But I felt I belonged to that group. One of my best friends was gang raped when she was about 13 years old by two of them. It was never talked about it and was not even considered rape; she was seen as a slut who asked for it because she was drunk. There was a very sinister side to life in the town. Girls were treated as possessions by boys who would refer to them as their ‘woman’. It was often about ownership and control.

What made you hang around those types of people?

I didn’t have a very happy home life. My father died just before I turned seven, and my mother never really recovered from this. I had three older brothers, and so, for the most part, I was really comfortable around boys. I grew up surrounded by violence, watching my two eldest brothers beating the hell out of each other, and it was normalised for me to a large extent. I think being the youngest and a girl, I often felt a bit of an outsider, like I didn’t really fit in with my own family. The Brighton Boys became like a family, though they were rough, they were also very protective, and fiercely loyal. I felt happy to be part of a group.

In what way was Moranbah similar to Sandgate/Brighton?

Sandgate, when I lived there, was very working class, and so is Moranbah; however, Moranbah is unusual because although it is working class, it is extremely wealthy. I think that most males in the mining town still idealise the Aussie ‘working class man’ that Jimmy Barnes sings about. You would see miners down at Coles covered in grease and coal dust in their work uniforms. They were worn with pride, in the same way that stubbies and ‘wife beaters’ were worn with pride by the Brighton Boys.
It was funny also because when I was sixteen my favourite bands were The Angels, The Radiators and AC/DC, and in Moranbah that was still the kind of music you would hear on the radio five years ago. It was like the town was in a time warp. So it really reminded me of my youth.

In what ways do you think I am similar to you?

You are a very shy, insecure girl, who is desperately seeking approval and a place to fit in. You want to be accepted. I think sometimes I still feel like this, even now, but at fifteen the need to feel connected to friends is very strong.
Like you, I fought with my mother, often violently. My mother died when I was 23, and I still miss her greatly, but I can still remember the intense hatred I felt towards her at times.
You also feel more comfortable around boys. I think this is because they are often less judgemental than girls. It can simply be easier to be around them.

What character traits do I possess that you like?

I like that you are smart, clever, that you try to be a good person, though you often aren’t. I really like that you are forgiving, because I definitely am not. I like that you are passionate, that the people you care about, you love intensely. I like that you are very good at maths and science, because they are things that I have absolutely no understanding of at all. I always think that it is great to see a girl being able to do things that are predominantly seen as things that only boys can do well.

What character traits do you dislike?

I don’t dislike any character traits, but I suppose there are ones that could be described as negative, or that have negative impacts on you. The fact that you are shy can hold you back. I would like you to be more confident and self-assured, though I know that few teenagers are. I certainly wasn’t. I hope that by the end of the book you will have gained strength, confidence and the power to be yourself.

Why do you want to write about me?

I think your story is the story of many girls and it is one that is not often heard. You had to move away from friends and begin again at another school, which would have been extremely difficult at fifteen. You have also lived in housing commission, which is an environment that is often negatively stereotyped. It is mainly made up of single women and children who have often been abused by men. You have also lived in a mining town which is dominated by men.
Having said that, I think the things you went through transcend the environment/setting of the mining town, and are experienced by young girls in all socio-economic areas all over Queensland, and indeed, Australia.
I strongly believe that we need to acknowledge our own past in order to be able to move forward. Perhaps that is why I want to write about you, I felt silenced, shame, when I was young. I wouldn’t have the courage to do what you are doing. It would be very difficult to trust another person to represent you; to give up part of your own power so that your story can be told. I want to ‘get it right’, to tell your story as honestly and openly as I can. I think sometimes stories about young girls, particularly those in mining towns, have been silenced, and I would like to give you, and them, a voice. I also want to make sense of my own past and ‘write out’ my own demons.

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