A Curse for the Homesick with Author Laura Brooke Robson

Order this book and thank me later… those are the first words that came to mind when I sat down to write the review for A Curse for the Homesick. It’s one of those books that you’ll stay up late just to read one more page, one more chapter. It’s filled with will they won’t they, of sorrow and a curse that has always fallen upon the women who call Stenland home. It weaves the tale of Tess and her two best friends, who grew up on a small island off the coast of Scotland. While many choose to stay, some dream of the day they can leave Stenland behind forever and avoid what is known as skeld season.

In this Q&A, author Laura Brooke Robson gives an inside look into her latest novel, A Curse for the Homesick which is a perfect blend of magical realism that belongs on any book lover’s shelf.

**When were you first inspired to write A Curse for the Homesick?**

As my second YA book—The Sea Knows My Name—was coming out, I kept thinking about this place, this cursed and cold and cozy island. I’d also been reading all these dark academia books that had trios and foursomes of boys, and I wanted one with a trio of girls who felt completely distinct and totally complementary. So I suddenly had Stenland and Tess and Linnea and Kitty, and then Soren showed up. I originally thought I might write this as another YA novel, but I quickly realized that it had to be adult fiction for two reasons. One, it all just felt a bit sexy. Two, I was more interested in exploring what it means to come back home as a 20-something than to leave as a teen.

What drew you to the magical realism genre?

I think the most interesting speculative fiction leverages its magic to make the metaphorical literal. In this case—what if the pressure to conform to feminine standards and domestic roles was a literal curse, a genuine trap, rather than just feeling like one? So that’s what draws me to magic. And what draws me to realism is that I love characters—I want to know what everyone is feeling all the time.

Is the setting of Stenland based on a real island?

Stenland is my invention, but it was inspired by Shetland, Orkney, and the Faroe Islands. Shetland and Orkney are full of surnames and place names that feel very Scandinavian, but they’re part of Scotland. Before all that, they were Pictish. I love etymology—and I’m so captivated by the idea of a place that has all these overlapping languages and alphabets carved in stone. It was also based on places I’ve lived and loved.

Where did you write the majority of the novel?

Oregon, New York, San Diego, Melbourne, Edinburgh. My phone. (I would die for the Scrivener app.)

The women who call Stenland home know that one day they will be cursed with becoming a skeld during skeld season. How did you come up with the term for what the women would become and for deciding on a Medusa-inspired curse?

The book is heavily steeped in Norse mythology, but most of it is Norse—as is the word “skeld,” which would’ve meant something like “shield” or “shelter.” A Medusa-style curse is not Norse, but the connection between living on an island full of stone and turning people to stone felt exactly right.

When you were writing the novel did you ever consider that Tess and her friends might find a way to reverse the curse?

I love this question! Yes, I absolutely did, but I also decided that would be a different genre and a different contract with the reader. I set out to write a story about love, friendship, and growing up, not about curse-breaking. A more classic fantasy novel would need the curse to break for the story to feel resolved, but dwelling too much on the magic felt distracting in this sort of story, which is more interested in relationships and communities.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

It would involve spoilers. But the part where the book catches up with the prelude.

Out of all the characters, which character do you feel is the most like you?

They all have aspects of me—like Tess, I swam growing up, wanted to leave my hometown, and eventually escaped to Stanford, which I found weird and wonderful. Like Soren, I’m very prone to romanticizing the natural world and/or etymology. But I think Kitty’s voice is the most like mine, and she was the most natural to write.

If you could have talked to Tess in real life, what would you have asked her?

What do you think about when you swim? What does Hedda’s coffee taste like? Do you believe in soulmates?

Are you working on your next novel, and if so can we get a sneak peek?

I don’t have any sneak peeks I can share yet, but I am working on my next novel! If all goes according to plan, you can read it next year. Stay tuned!