We chat with author Amanda Jayatissa about Island Witch, which follows the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—who tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorising her coastal village.
Hi, Amanda! Welcome back! How have the past 18 months been since we last spoke?
A lot has changed since then! We’ve moved from Sri Lanka to Portugal, so that’s probably the biggest news. And of course, I’ve written something a little different from my usual contemporary thrillers. Apart from that, it’s been the same— reading, writing, and entertaining my two huskies.
Your latest novel, Island Witch, is out February 27th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Rage-y, feminist, gothic, anti-colonial horror (Wow, that was a mouthful!)
What can readers expect?
A dark coming-of-age tale set in British-colonial Ceylon, featuring demons, curses, and an exorcism or two.
In 1880s Ceylon, Amara, the daughter of the local demon priest is caught in the cross currents of her traditional beliefs and the new colonial ideas that have been brought into her coastal town, while being bullied and called a “witch” herself. When a series of attacks starts plaguing the men in her village, she must figure out who is behind them before her father is accused of these crimes. However, she’s been having dreams which eerily predict these attacks, and can’t shake the feeling that all this is tied into to when she woke up, dazed and confused, to the sound of her mother’s cries that no one can find out what happened.
Where did the inspiration for Island Witch come from?
I don’t explicitly mention it in the book, but Island Witch is my version of an origin story for Sri Lanka’s most popular ghost— Mohini. Mohini is Sri Lanka’s “Woman in White,” a lonely white-clad figure who asks solitary passers-by for help, only to kill, or posses, or harm them— her story has many versions. I’ve always been fascinated by this folk-tale, but it never sat well with me that no one knew anything more about Mohini— where she came from, or why she did what she did. So I set about the task of giving her a story.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The story starts with an exorcism, and I definitely had a fun time researching and writing that— especially since exorcisms in popular culture are usually portrayed from a western perspective, I had a really good time demonstrating how this ritual was practiced in Sri Lanka. It involved me speaking to local demon priests and attending one myself, so it was definitely an interesting time.
Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced whilst writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Island Witch is told from the perspective of an 18 year old girl from a lower class family who lived in a coastal fishing village. Right off the bat, I knew I had a problem— there was absolutely no historic reference material I could find from the same perspective. Most text from this time period was written by the British, the few by local writers were all upperclass Sinhalese, and certainly nothing was written by women. But of course, this only fuelled me to write this story. I found as much text written about women and their daily activities, and had to extrapolate from there. I also worked with a few historians to make sure I represented the finer details correctly.
What led to your interest in writing within the thriller genre?
I’ve always loved mystery, thrillers, and horror. Growing up in Sri Lanka, Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books were very popular, and that’s probably where I got my love of mysteries. Even now, my favourite types of books involve solving something. I suppose I write in this genre because thrillers are my favourite genre to read.
This is your third published novel. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned when it comes to being an author and the publishing world?
A big lesson for me has been that the process of writing every book has been different. Each book came with its own unique set of challenges, and trying to solve them the same way only led to more struggles. I’ve learned that I do my best writing when I let the stories breathe— when I remove all my pre-conceived ideas and just start writing.
What’s next for you?
I can’t discuss it in detail yet, but I can promise you that there will always be a dead body or two.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
Too many, as always!
- House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias
- The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
- Middle of The Night by Riley Sager
- Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíd
