Helen Vivienne Fletcher is a widely published children’s and young adult author, spoken word poet and award-winning playwright. Here, she talks about the dream which inspired her latest YA novel, The Retreat.
What first inspired you to write this book?
It’s not a cult. It’s a safe haven. So then why is no one allowed to leave?
The Retreat is a new young adult mystery novel that explores the impacts of grief and the search for reassurance and safety people may experience following a loss.
Main character, Finn’s, father has moved them to The Retreat following the deaths of Finn’s mother and younger sister. Ruled over by Mother, The Retreat’s goal is to keep everyone protected. From high-heeled shoes to non-pureed foods, danger is everywhere, and Mother plans to eliminate all of it.
The idea for this book originally started from a dream, but like most dreams, it wasn’t particularly clear or coherent. I thought the characters and setting were interesting though, so I filed it away in the back of my mind.
During covid lockdowns, the idea started to further take shape. I’ve lived with agoraphobia for decades and had it well managed, but during the lockdowns, it became harder to judge whether my caution was rational or not. Was I staying home because I’m immunocompromised and it was necessary to protect my health? Or was my anxiety distorting the level of risk? The line wasn’t always clear cut. I only realised it might be agoraphobia when I stopped being able to open the curtains.
The characters in The Retreat experience this same blurring of lines when it comes to reasonable safety precautions.
If you look into healthy living online, it seems everything can be a cure, and everything can be a danger. On one page you’re being told eating something will kill you, on the next it’s basically the key to immortality. I started wondering what would happen if you took those ideas to the extreme – actually started avoiding everything that was theoretically dangerous. That’s what the characters in the book are doing; trying to avoid illness, pain and grief by taking themselves away from the world, from everything they think will cause them harm.
The Retreat officially launches 26 August and is available from the Kiwi Kids Bookstore now.
