Cart loading...
Q&A: The World at My Feet by Catherine Isaac
The new novel by CATHERINE ISAAC, The World at My Feet, is a story about the transforming power of love, as one woman journeys to uncover the past and reshape her future. gr caught up with the author to discover her inspirations.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The secrets that bind us can also tear us apart …
1990. Harriet is a journalist. Her job takes her to dangerous places, where she asks questions and tries to make a difference. But when she is sent to Romania, to the state orphanages the world is only just learning about, she is forced to rethink her most important rule.
2018. Ellie is a gardener. Her garden is her sanctuary, her pride and joy. But, though she spends long days outdoors, she hasn’t set foot beyond her gate for far too long. Now someone enters her life who could finally be the reason she needs to overcome her fears.
From post-revolution Romania to the idyllic English countryside, The World at My Feet is the story of two women, two worlds, and a journey of self-discovery that spans a lifetime.
Q&A with Catherine Isaac
The World at My Feet looks at the lives and struggles of two women, decades and countries apart. What inspired you tell a story of self-discovery in this way?
The experiences of my two leading women are initially separated by time and circumstance, but this novel is very much a story of two worlds colliding. The idea for Ellie’s story initially came from my experiences and observations of social media – especially how the version we present of ourselves can diverge from reality. In Ellie’s case, she’s a passionate young gardener dispensing horticultural advice to thousands of Instagram followers, but the truth behind her glossy image is rather different.
We meet Harriet decades earlier in the mid-1980s when, as a foreign correspondent, she is sent to report on conflicts across the world. As an ex-journalist, I was long fascinated by the female news reporters who started appearing on our screens in the 1990s and was intrigued by what it must have been like for them in such a male-dominated industry.
In the ‘present day’, Ellie struggles with anxiety and agoraphobia which has kept her house-bound for two years. What research did you do to capture this aspect of her character accurately and respectfully?
Several elements of the novel required research and this was one of them. I started simply by reading about the subject – books and the first-hand experiences people had shared online. I then enlisted the help of a therapist who specialises in treating agoraphobia. She helped me to convey the experiences of people like Ellie, as well as answering the key question of whether it’s possible to recover and, if so, how.
Conversely, in the 90s, Harriet’s job as a journalist takes her to many dangerous places, but her new posting in Romania makes her question her ethics. How did you get into the mindset of her character?
Of all the characters I’ve created in 15 years of writing books, I think Harriet may just be my favourite. I immersed myself in watching old news footage and read several biographies by ex-war correspondents. But although some of the trailblazing journalists I read about provided colour and background, I wanted Harriet to be very much her own person. She is full of wonderful contradictions – serious enough to write award-winning reportage, but the first to start a game of Twister at a party.
Gardening, nature and the organic world in general are quite a motif throughout the novel – what did you want to say with this aspect of the book?
The decision to set the novel in a beautiful English country garden was for a purely selfish reason: I wanted the pleasure of writing about it. The garden and its evolving nature is inextricably linked to the character of Ellie and her own growth. I hope readers will enjoy this aspect of the novel as much as I liked creating it.
The World at my Feet is your third novel written under your real name, as opposed to your ‘Jane Costello’ pseudonym. How does writing as ‘Catherine’ differ to writing as ‘Jane’?
My Jane Costello novels were romantic comedies. Writing as Catherine Isaac has given me the opportunity to create stories that go beyond the constraints of that genre and delve into certain subjects that interested and challenged me as an author. That said, my novels are still optimistic, hopeful reads. They’re also love stories - but in the widest sense, as much about family and friendship as romance. I was ‘Jane’ for more than a decade and thoroughly enjoyed creating those books. But the new direction I’ve taken as Catherine Isaac has allowed me to reach many more readers – I’m now published in 24 languages and one book, You Me Everything, is currently being developed into a movie by Lionsgate, which is wonderful.
The World at My Feet by Catherine Isaac is published by Simon & Schuster
