Vaccination and Polarisation: A Conversation with Emily Edwards

28 Sept

“The decisions we make are inevitably coloured by our individual experiences.”

First, could you tell us a little more about the inspiration behind The Herd?

I’d never really thought about vaccination as an issue before I became pregnant with my first child. I’d always rolled up my sleeve whenever I was asked – but when I was pregnant, we hired a doula for the birth. The doula was the kind of mother I hoped to be – caring, strong and clear-sighted. One boiling day in our garden I was bouncing away on the birthing ball when our doula asked whether we were planning on vaccinating our unborn baby. My husband said, ‘Absolutely, 100% yes.’ Our doula looked alarmed and started telling us how dangerous vaccines could be, and why she’d chosen not to vaccinate her own children. My husband and our doula ended up having an explosive argument about vaccines while I bounced away, hands on my huge belly, feeling utterly overwhelmed, but also thinking ‘this would make a great novel.’

You have previously said that the hardest topics to discuss are often the most interesting ones, so I wanted to ask you about the task of tackling a very divisive issue. As with all such issues, the two sides are often presented in media and wider culture as being two opposing views with very little nuance in between them. How (and why?!) did you want to approach this issue? Did you research both sides of the argument?

I wanted to write about vaccination precisely because it is so divisive. Quite often we live in quite a binary way – Brexit being the perfect example! But I think the big decisions are often multi-dimensional and the decisions we make are inevitably coloured by our individual experiences. For many, the decision to vaccinate or not is founded on their history, the stories they’ve heard and the things they’ve experienced. It is not as simple as ‘yes or no.’ I didn’t see this reflected in mainstream discussions around vaccination – so The Herd is, in part, my attempt to somewhat bridge the gap between the two sides.

Yes, I absolutely researched both sides, and it was interesting doing so, as I had my own questions about vaccines as a new and impressionable mum myself. We decided to fully vaccinate our children – and will continue to do so – but we have friends who have not, and while I respect their choice, for my family it was the right decision to vaccinate.

How did you approach the characterisation of the two women who are, in the simplest terms, representative of each side of the debate?

Both Bryony and Elizabeth came to me quite clearly – perhaps because I can identify with both of them in different ways! It was helpful to think of them in relation to other characters – their families, community and each other – as this really helped bring them to life for me. I like running and I’d often be having a conversation with them in my head as I puffed along the South Downs.

Did any of the conversations around the Covid-19 vaccination make you reflect on the conversations depicted in your novel?

I wrote The Herd during the first lock down – so very much in the depths of the pandemic. When the Covid-19 vaccine was opened to children, a few friends asked me my view on whether they should have their children vaccinated. It was interesting how people would not think about vaccine safety for themselves, but as soon as it involved children, it was a different matter entirely. I know a few couples who wanted to do different things for their kids – one wanted their child to have the vaccine and the other didn’t – a dynamic which is reflected in the book.

I wanted to ask a little more about your writing process, as you have previously described it as ‘forensic’. Could you tell us a little more about what you mean by that?

It turns out – as someone who has always rejected routine – that as a writer, I thrive on routine. While I was writing The Herd, I’d get up at 5.30am and disappear into the garden shed until 12pm. I’d turn the internet off, keep my phone on airplane mode and wear earplugs so I couldn’t hear my husband and toddler – and write. It’s like I need to cut off all sensory triggers with reality so I can fully immerse myself into the world I’m creating.

Which other artists, creators, and thinkers have had an impact on your work?

I love the work of Gabor Mate; he has worked extensively in the field of trauma and how early trauma can impact the people we become. I love the beauty and social commentary of Grayson Perry’s work and I’m a sucker for the poetry of Kate Baer and Mary Oliver.

Could you share with our readers a few authors you’re enjoying reading at the moment?

I love Jenny Offhill (The Department of Speculation is staggeringly good), Clare Chambers, Susanna Clarke and always, always, Maggie O’Farrell and Kate Atkinson.

And finally, do you judge a book by its cover?

100% yes. But I’m always open to being proved wrong.

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