Q&A: Lex Croucher, Author of 'The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones'

We chat with author Lex Croucher about The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones, which is dark academia meets contemporary fantasy in this timely page-turner about a student who fails to gain admission to the UK’s only school of magic but then gets a job there years later and unearths the ugly secrets simmering behind its ancient walls.

Hi, Lex! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m 5’4. When I was younger I used to eat whole salt packets with the paper still on. I’m the worst skater on my ice hockey team.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was obsessed with reading when I was a kid and started writing and illustrating imitations of Jaqueline Wilson books with folded printer paper and felt tip pens. Most of them revolved around families going camping. I had never been camping.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

The first book you ever remember reading: Probably a picture book about bear who’s also a postman.
The one that made you want to become an author: I suppose I have to say a Jaqueline Wilson book. The Illustrated Mum!
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Secret History by Donna Tartt is always front of mind.

**Your latest novel, The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?**

Dark, queer, simmering, heartbreaking, complicated

What can readers expect?

A queer dark academia fantasy about love, longing and the horrifying reality of an elite British boarding school.

**Where did the inspiration for The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones come from?**

I wanted to write a book about the kid who didn’t get into magic school rather than the one who did, and how it would feel to spend seven years as an outsider before finally getting the chance to look behind the curtain. Our protagonist Briar gets a temp job at the school, and discovers when they arrive that their ex-best friend, who did get in, has become the villain.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Briar meets a ragtag gang of scholars while working at the school—I loved writing them all, but Crispin Westby is my little homage to the wonderful and terrible students of Tartt’s Hampden College.

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Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

My magic system relies on knowledge of contract law and cryptic crosswords. My degree was in English literature and I can barely do the NYT mini crossword. I overcame this the usual way: by asking people smarter than me to explain things very slowly.