In 2020 Jessica Andrews became the youngest author to win The Portico Prize with her debut novel Saltwater. She is joined in conversation by journalist and writer Anita Sethi.
Saltwater, published by Sceptre, is a story of self-discovery by a girl from Sunderland who heads to university in London, taking her northern roots with her. Lucy's transition to a new life is more overwhelming than she ever expected. As she works long shifts to make ends meet and navigates chaotic parties from East London warehouses to South Kensington mansions, she still feels like an outsider among her fellow students. When things come to a head at her graduation, she takes off for Ireland, to seeks solace in her late grandfather's cottage and the wild landscape that surrounds it, wondering if she can piece together who she really is. Saltwater is an exploration of the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and the challenges of shifting class identity. The Sunday Times described it as ‘raw, intimate and authentic’. Like her protagonist, Jessica grew up in Sunderland. Website: http://www.jessica-andrews.com/about
Anita Sethi was born in Manchester, UK and is an award-winning writer, journalist and broadcaster who has written for newspapers and magazines including the Guardian, the Observer, Sunday Times, Vogue, and BBC Wildlife. She is author of a forthcoming trilogy of nature writing books beginning with I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain (Bloomsbury, 2021) and has also been published in Seaside Special: Postcards from the Edge (2018), The Good Journal (2018), Common People (2019), and Women on Nature (forthcoming), among others. She has been a judge of the British Book Awards, Society of Authors Awards and Costa Book Awards among others. Website: www.anitasethi.com Twitter: @anitasethi