We chat with debut author Lucille Abendanon about The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree, which is a debut middle grade historical fiction and inspired by a lifetime of conversations between the author and her Oma, Emmy, who was a prisoner of war in Tjideng during WWII.
Hi, Lucille! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! Thank you for having me! I live in the English countryside (about 45 minutes south of London) with my husband and three boys. I spent half my childhood in England, and half on the tropical east coast of South Africa. Since then, I’ve been very fortunate to live in Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey and The Netherlands. My father is Dutch, my mother is South African and I was born in the UK, so identity is a big deal for me. I have a surplus of nationalities, but don’t feel like I truly belong to any of them.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My mum read to me obsessively when I was a child, and I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by books. I loved classic children’s stories like Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, Carey’s War and of course there was always Narnia. I remember when I was seven, we had to write a story to go with a comic strip of pictures. It was a story about a giant I think, and my teacher made a really big deal of mine. That was the first time I realized that writing was something people thought I was good at.
At highschool in South Africa, we read Macbeth. Bit heavy for a bunch of thirteen year olds! But Shakespeare’s use of language and metaphor blew my mind. I was like, wait, words can do that? That’s definitely when I discovered the power of the written word. My best friend and I used to write each other notes in Shakespearean English. They were ridiculous and over the top, but so much fun. I loved creative writing at school, but I never really saw myself as a writer until much later on when it occurred to me that if I’m reading these wonderful books, why can’t I write them too?
But I wasn’t only into books. I adored the big blockbuster historical movies of the 1990s: Titanic, Gladiator, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Back to the Future, Anna and the King, Far and Away…they swept me off to another place and another time. I am fascinated by the idea of one small life playing out against the backdrop of a huge world event, and I wanted to be a part of creating stories like that.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. It was heaven to a horsey girl like me. Merrylegs the cheeky pony made me giggle, and Ginger broke my heart. I’ll never forget the opening line: “The first place I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.”
- The one that made you want to become an author: No one book, but the many wonderful stories that have enriched my life over the years.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Children’s: The Shark Caller by Zillah Bethell, Adult: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
Your debut novel, The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree, is out January 23rd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Adventure. Friendship. Heart-breaking. Hope. Belonging.
What can readers expect?
Readers will be transported to the tropical city of Batavia (modern day Jakarta) in the 1940s. They will follow Emmy as she fights to hold on to the life she loves and the people in it, and they will feel her pain and despair when she loses everything. Readers will love to hate Violet, and feel Bakti’s anger at the injustice he faces. Expect adventure, disgusting food, a python, and lots of bravery as the characters fight for survival.
Alongside the story, are themes of privilege, injustice, identity and belonging. Can you belong to many different places? What if the place you feel most at home is different from your culture or passport country? Can that place ever really be yours?
Ultimately, readers can expect a story of over-coming impossible odds, and finding hope and strength even in the darkest times.
Where did the inspiration for The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree come from?
The book is inspired by the real life stories of my Oma Emmy. She was a prisoner of war in Tjideng during WW2. I would visit her in The Netherlands from wherever I was living in the world, and we would talk for hours about her life during the war. When she died, she left a suitcase of photos, letters and newspaper clippings from the war, as well as her experiences as a prisoner, written in her own words. She was so generous with her memories and stories, and I feel very grateful that she spoke so openly about those terrible years. Every detail of life in the camp came from Oma Emmy’s experience; from the awful food, to the overcrowded houses, to bowing for hours in the sun. On one of my trips to Indonesia, I went in search of Tjideng, and it was an utterly surreal experience to be in the place where my grandmother spent her darkest years. She survived. She overcame, and that’s the spirit of Songbird.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really loved writing mean-girl Violet! It’s fun writing a character without a conscience. But I did enjoy watching her grow up too. Her character arc was very satisfying. I actually loved writing Emmy, Bakti and Kitty too. They were so real in my head, as if when I shut my laptop for the day, they continued living. I’d sit down to write and say, ‘Right crew, what have you been up to while I’ve been away?’ and they would tell me. Kitty, for example, arrived on the page unplotted and unplanned. She just turned up one day and said, I’m here, write me in. Of course I had to listen to her.
I savoured writing the descriptions of Batavia and the tropical setting – it took me back to living in Southeast Asia. Wherever I’ve lived in the world, nature has been a huge part of my life. Birdsong, flowers, the colour of the sunrise, the way the air smells, the sounds at night, these things are different in different places and I really wanted the reader to feel immersed in the setting. The scene I loved writing the most? The rambutan tree scene, for sure. It packs a punch. That’s why it’s on the cover.
What do you hope your readers take away from reading The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree?
I hope readers simply love the story. Indonesia is a bit of a unique setting for middle grade WW2 stories, and I hope readers enjoy that aspect of it. There are deeper things to think about if the reader wants to, things which are relevant to our world today: Immigration, war, displacement, the impact of colonialism on the colonized. But in its simplest form, this book is about friendship and the power of humans when they stand together.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I met my agent, Thérèse Coen at Susanna Lea Associates, when Songbird was still in progress. Knowing she was enthusiastic about the book gave me the boost I needed to finish it. I tried to write without fear and without thinking too much about the end result, which was really hard because this story is my family history and very close to my heart. I was over the moon when she read the final manuscript and loved it. We went on submission in December 2022. Those were crazy days, the backlog from the Pandemic was enormous, but North Star Editions and Jolly Fish swooped in and the rest is history.
Everyone at Jolly Fish Press have been wonderful. I can’t speak highly enough of them. I loved the editing process, bouncing ideas around and the excitement of creating something really special. Every phase has felt like a partnership, and I’m grateful for that.
What’s next for you?
I’m finishing up my second novel, a middle grade mystery which takes place at the very end of WW1. It’s set in England this time but the main character has lived in South Africa for most of her life, so there are familiar themes of finding your place in the world when ‘home’ is complicated. She returns to England to be reunited with her injured father, but soon discovers that his injuries are more serious that she had been told…or are they? There is a family mystery, a magnificent horse called Valerian, and a race against time across the wintry countryside.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s new book, The Night War as well as Veera Hiranandani’s Amil and the After. We share a book birthday! Here in the UK, there are so many incredible books debuting in 2024. Dev Kothari’s Bringing Back Kay-Kay; Piu DasGupta’s Secrets of the Snakestone promises to be wonderful; and if you’re into middle grade fantasy, Megan Hopkins’ Starminster will be out in May.
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