Ben Hinshaw and Mary Horlock
ISLAND FEVER

Island Fever will see Chris Stone (BBC Radio Jersey) interview two Channel Island-raised authors, Ben Hinshaw and Mary Horlock, as they discuss their respective new books Exactly What you Mean and The Stranger’s Companion.

Hinshaw’s Exactly What you Mean follows the complexity of a teenager growing up in Guernsey as he discovers a secret and realises that his betrayal holds enough power to ruin adult lives. Hinshaw’s sensitivity, as well as sharp and thoughtful writing shows the raw nature of growing up. Paralleled, Horlock’s The Stranger’s Companion is a charming historical fiction about a disappearing couple on the island of Sark, based on a true case which has never been solved. The book holds themes of mystique, escapism and a gothic hue allowing for a complex yet authentic read. With both books using the Channel Islands as the backdrop, this onstage conversation will offer accounts of personal experience, as well as the impact of island living and how this relates to their respective new novels.

Ben’s fiction has appeared in The Best Short Stories 2021: The O. Henry Prize Winners, Granta, Harvard Review, Story, The Carolina Quarterly, The White Review, Lighthouse, The Bridport Prize Anthology 2017 and elsewhere. His writing has been supported by grants and scholarships from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Community of Writers. Ben holds MAs in creative writing and cultural geography. He grew up on the island of Guernsey and has also lived in London, Nottingham and Northern California.

Mary Horlock was born in Australia and brought up in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. She was previously a curator in contemporary art at Tate Liverpool and Tate Britain. Her first novel, The Book of Lies, was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. She lives with her family in London.