Chloe Michelle Howarth‘s debut book, Sunburn, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Book of the Year and the Nero Book Awards when it was published in 2023. Now, the book is debuting in America. Set in early 1990s small-town Ireland, exploring the forbidden love between Lucy and Susannah as they navigate secrecy, desire, and the crushing weight of societal prejudice, this is a richly told story for fans of Sally Rooney.
We asked the writer to answer our recurring My Reading Life Q&A so readers could get to know her and the books that shaped her life.
What was the first book you were obsessed with as a child?
As a child, I was completely obsessed with anything by Jacqueline Wilson. I distinctly remember reading Vicky Angel when I was around seven. It’s a story about a girl who witnesses her best frenemy get hit and killed by a car outside school. It’s a story about grief and guilt – such heavy themes for children! – but Wilson always writes sensitive topics with such grace and care.
What book helped you through puberty?
I can’t say that any book particularly helped me through puberty, as around that age I was reading books that were too advanced for me! I thought it was very important to be reading books like Wuthering Heights, but I can’t say I really understood or appreciated them. I wish I had just let myself become obsessed with Twilight like everybody else!
What book do you think all teenagers should be assigned in school?
Queer stories of all types! The more that young people are exposed to queerness and the more it is normalised for them, the less scary and alien it is for them as adults.
If you were to teach a class on Damn Good Writing, what books would make the syllabus?
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, such a short book so packed with amazing imagery. The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan, a wonderful cast of characters who all stand out from each other and feel like real people. And anything at all by Claire Keegan, as she says so much with so few words.
What books helped guide you while writing your book?
I think every book I’ve ever read helped to guide me when writing Sunburn. Especially those about girlhood. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is my favourite book, and that his work is a constant guide for my writing.
What books are on your nightstand now?
Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu and Murphy by Samuel Beckett.
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