Genevieve Graham spins stories from hidden history
Genevieve Graham is the author of five works of historical fiction inspired by little-known slices of twentieth-century Canadian history
Graham’s latest is The Forgotten Home Child. It’s the story of a girl caught in the British Home Children program that sent thousands of poor British children to colonies including Canada.
How do you choose a story to write about? Do you imagine a place, characters and a story, and then research the historical context to make it work, or do stories emerge from the research?
I tend to start off with knowing the theme or historical background to the story I’m going to write.
For example, with the British Home Children, I wanted to learn specifically about the British Home Children scheme. And that led me to learning about the period. I looked into everything you might see captured in a black and white photo from the time period: fashion, food, architecture, and politics.
I try to learn what I would need to know if my characters were walking down the street. What kinds of stores are they looking at, what do things cost; if they’re drinking tea, what kind of teapot they’d be using--things like that. It’s like the black and white photo coming into colour. This is where I feel like I as the author drop in, when I know that I can provide anything my characters need.
For The Forgotten Home Child you worked with the living descendants of British Home Children through Facebook groups. That’s different from letters and photos. How do you handle sources that are removed from the history you’re writing about?
I don’t think of them as being removed from the history: they’re a part of it. Though I started with online resources on the British Home Children, when I found the Facebook groups, the subject opened up completely. The descendants were so enthusiastic and eager to share. They have a strong desire to educate the public and eventually get this story into the Canadian curriculum so children can learn this history.
What did you read as a child?
As a little girl, I read what I think all little girls read. I loved history and adventure, and historical fiction. I loved Little House on the Prairie, The Secret Garden, and Little Women.
Have you gone back to them?
I tried to read Little House on the Prairie with my daughters when they were little, but they were more into dragons and things like that. I delved back into The Secret Garden a little while ago and realized it has more layers than I remember.
What books would you credit for shaping you as a writer?
When I was 40 I fell in love with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It’s accessible and exciting and romantic, like so much of what I loved as a girl, but all grown up! Every time I read it, I see something different.
The best book I’ve ever read on the craft of writing would be Stephen King’s On Writing. His honesty, and his philosophy that writers need to “kill their darlings”; that writing needs to hurt sometimes, is such a huge part of writing historical fiction for me.
Was there a book that provided inspiration or comfort during the writing of The Forgotten Home Child?
After I’d gone through the library books and sorted through the details of the history, I liked reading the Dear Canada series of children’s non-fiction books. The way they tell those stories is open and obvious, but accurate. It was a way to cleanse my palate and clarify my thinking on the subject before I started writing.
Is there a book you love that would surprise your readers?
Weaveworld by Clive Barker. It was the farthest from reality one book has ever taken me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
The Forgotten Home Child
The Home for Unwanted Girls meets Orphan Train in this unforgettable novel about a young girl caught in a scheme to rid England’s streets of destitute children, and the lengths she will go to find her way home—based on the true story of the British Home Children.
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