We chat with instant New York Times, indie and international bestseller Sarah Underwood about her sophomore novel, Gentlest of Wild Things. This is inspired by the myth of Eros and Psyche with a sapphic twist and features wonderful characterisation, an aching longing and plenty of female rage.
Hi Sarah, thank you for joining us today! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your latest book Gentlest of Wild Things?
Hi! I’m Sarah and I’m a data scientist at the University of Oxford as well as the author of the New York Times Bestseller Lies We Sing to the Sea (my first book) and the newly released Gentlest of Wild Things (my second!)
Gentlest of Wild Things is a sapphic, vampiric riff on the myth of Eros and Psyche; it’s set on the island of Zakynthos where nothing is more powerful than Desire, love itself, bottled and sold to the highest bidder by the powerful demigod Leandros. The story follows Eirene, an ambitious healer who strikes a bargain with Leandros to protect her beloved sister from marriage, and Lamia, Leandros’ daughter, who is kept locked away by Leandros and has her own mysterious power.
Second books are HARD but once I found my rhythm with Gentlest of Wild Things it was so much fun to write. It’s a book about lots of things, but I think primarily it’s ended up being about disability, existing as a disabled girl and getting to have your own adventures and romances despite what society might expect from you. There’s also a big sheep in it.
I loved the relationship with Eirene and Lamia – the sapphic representation also meant a lot to me. What does representation mean to you and why do you choose to focus on sapphic love stories?
I think the sapphic representation I included in my first book was a lot more of a deliberate thing: I wanted a clearly bisexual protagonist who falls in love with a boy and with a girl because that was something I didn’t see a lot of growing up. With Gentlest of Wild Things, the sapphic romance was just what made sense for the story and for Lamia and Eirene as characters.
I think everything I write will always be sapphic in that there will be sapphic main characters, but they might not always be in f/f relationships. There’s definitely bi m/f stories coming up that are just as important to me as the f/f ones.
What draws you to writing these fantastical tales that draw on elements on Greek mythology?
I love fantasy, I love mythology, I love the idea of taking part in the oral tradition—of taking these stories and telling them in a way that feels new and interesting to me. Obviously, my versions depart quite substantially from the original myths and I think that’s probably because I grew up reading a lot of fanfiction; in fanfic spaces, if people don’t like things, or even if they do like them, they change them and make them into whatever they want. That’s always been so exciting to me.
Following on from this, without giving any spoilers, there is a very interesting take on certain aspects from Greek mythology in this book that speaks to a renaissance in current YA literature. How did you choose which parts of mythology to draw upon?
I think the story of Eros and Psyche is one that’s always been interesting to me and it was a natural choice: I love the shape of it and a lot of the individual pieces, but I’d never have been keen to write a straight up retelling. I was much more interested in playing around with those set pieces and seeing how I could twist them into something new which has quite a different central theme than the original.
Both of your books tackle abuse in differing forms, often drawing on the imbalance of power inherent in patriarchy. What makes you want to write about this and what message would you like readers to take away from your books?
The reason I write and the message I’m trying to send tend to be the same: patriarchy sucks for everyone and it’s in all of our best interests to disassemble it.
What songs would form the soundtrack to Gentlest of Wild Things for you?
I listened to a ton of Hozier while writing Gentlest of Wild Things: Francesca; Abstract (Psychopomp); Eat Your Young; All Things End; Shrike; Would That I; From Eden. I love Hozier. His new album being shaped around a descent into Hell felt like a sign for a book where the main characters (Spoilers? Ish? It’s in the original myth) travel into Hell.
What books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
God, so many. I read a TON and it’s been such a good year for me. I especially loved Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel, The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald, and Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek.
This year, my most anticipated releases are The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri and The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi. For next year, I’m very excited for the realease of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn (I’ve already read it and LOVED IT but I want the hardcover for my collection)
If possible, can you share a little about what you are currently working on or any upcoming projects you have?
I’m working on tons of things! My next YA project is a trilogy I should be able to talk a bit more about towards the end of the year/early 2025. I’m leaving the Greek myth space for now and it’s so exciting to go more traditional fantasy and get to make absolutely everything up as opposed to most of it.
In the adult space, I’ve been working on an Austen-era bog demon book for several years and I’m feeling that this year could be the year I finally try to sell it. I’m also writing a couple of romcoms with my best friend and it is the most fun in the world. I’d love for those to be published one day.
Finally, if you could only use five words to describe Gentlest of Wild Things, what would they be?
Romantic, hopeful, tender, slightly spooky.
