Chloe Michelle Howarth on Her Latest Novel, Heap Earth Upon It

When I wrote my first novel, Sunburn, I was keen to write a very queer, very Irish story. I never imagined that people from countries all over the world would relate to it. The push and pull of both loving and rejecting your home town; living in a quiet, conservative place; the fear and isolation that comes with being openly queer in a small town were all things that I thought were really niche – perhaps as I’d never lived outside of Ireland before. 

But since Sunburn came out, I have realised that the story is anything but unique to Ireland. It contains themes that affect queer people all over the world. Readers from Australia to Brazil to Italy have spoken to me about their teenage years, and let me know that the story in Sunburn is very close to what they have lived through. 

This inspired me to continue to write about queerness in rural spaces. I want to shine a light on underrepresented people in the queer community, and as I am so obsessed with the Irish countryside, I have continued to set my writing there. For my second novel, Heap Earth Upon It, I wanted to write about a village smaller and quieter than that in Sunburn, deeper in the past, where queerness was even less of a possibility. 

Heap Earth Upon It is the story of the O’Leary siblings, Tom, Jack, Anna, and Peggy. We meet them as they leave their entire lives behind and start again in a new village, far away from home. As they try to ingratiate themselves in the town, the locals begin to realise that the O’Learys have brought a lot of secrets with them. Living in a remote Irish village in 1965 leaves little room for queerness, and yet, our protagonist Anna is on a journey to understand the desires that she cannot leave behind. 

I chose to write about Ireland in the 1960s as it is so different to the popular image that we have of the 1960s. Not having the same participation in civil rights movements or countercultures as neighbouring countries, Ireland was still very much in the grasp of the Catholic church. And while they were largely living in secret, there were many queer people in Ireland at this time, because there have always been queer people in every corner of the world. Although there may be gaps in history where it might be very hard to find representations of queerness in your country, queer people were there. 

I was really drawn to the idea of being a queer person who has almost no idea about queerness. I wondered what that experience would be like. Imagine something formative, like a teenager having a crush on their friend, but not having the language to understand it as attraction rather than an intense friendship. Imagine the confusion of falling in love with somebody but never considering that you are in love. Imagine being attracted to somebody and not knowing why you feel so strange around them. When writing about the character, Anna, these scenarios filled my head. 

It was such a challenging task to write about desire, love, and attraction without using any of the usual romantic language associated with those feelings. But it really helped me to understand Anna as a character much better. In the past, Anna has had several friendships that haven’t made total sense to her. They have gotten her into trouble and left her feeling guilty. She has never had the tools to understand or properly express herself, and she is very confused. Her emotions are unbridled, her desire is raw, and her love is wild. Throughout her life, this intensity has been interpreted as dangerous, inappropriate, or even madness. 

Finding new ways to write about sapphic yearning has been so enjoyable. It was great to find out which parts of my writing in Sunburn could come with me into a new book. If you like spooky, gothic vibes, intense sapphic yearning, and complicated family relationships, then I think you’ll love Heap Earth Upon It. 

Buy a copy of Heap Earth Upon It here.