It tells the story of Paul and Mikey, two brothers who are on the run. Part hair-raising thriller and part absurdist romp, Fallow mixes Patricia Highsmith’s moreish prose with the existential madness of Charles Portis and Samuel Beckett.
You can read our staff review of Fallow here.
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North Melbourne Books talks to Daniel Shand
North Melbourne Books: Fallow tells the story of two brothers in their twenties, Mikey and Paul, who are on the run from the authorities. Paul, the older brother by a few years, narrates the story. He tells of their exploits on the road, often describing his ability to dominate and win in any situation. But as the story continues, Paul’s character changes in unimaginable ways.
How did the idea for Fallow come to you?
Daniel Shand: The book’s origins lie in a short story I wrote, which now makes up the first two chapters of Fallow, give or take. It was the two brothers, hiding out in their tent, in the countryside, all the way up to… Well, I won’t spoil it.
I thought it would be a self-contained piece, but I was so curious about how Mikey and Paul ended up there, and about what they would do next, that the story started to sprawl from there. But the heart was always with this odd couple, bickering in a tent. It was a dynamic that really amused me and one that I knew had a lot of potential.
NMB: The most compelling aspect of the novel is of course the narrative voice of Paul. He’s so believable and menacing, his misanthropy sometimes darkly comic, and then we learn he’s not all that he seems. How did you imagine his character and what was the writing process like?
DS: I have to say, writing Paul was disturbing and fun at the same time. When you get inside the mind of an ‘evil’ person, it gives you permission to voice the worst things that human beings think about each other, and there is something entertaining about being so free. Having said that, it was also quite draining and tended to leave a bad taste in your mouth.
NMB: When the brothers; travels take them to a peace camp run by warring hippie and religious factions, the novel changes register from thriller to theatre of the absurd. These sections are quite satirical and humorous. Are they based on personal experience of any kind?
DS: No, not really. The kernel of truth is that in Scotland there is a permanent protest camp near to a nuclear submarine base called Faslane, which I did visit as a kid, but everything else was pure invention.
NMB: Fallow has been likened to the work of Cormac McCarthy and Iain Banks. Do you have any writers you count as major influences?
DS: Both of those actually, it was such a compliment to have those names brought up in comparison to Fallow. McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses was one of the first books where I thought, I could do something like this. Not that I’m arrogant enough to say I could match the quality, but there was something in the style that spoke to me.
Some others would be George Saunders and Alan Warner. Alan was kind enough to write a positive blurb for the UK cover, which was another highlight in the process.
NMB: What books are you enjoying reading at the moment?
DS: I got a copy of Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin for Christmas. I’ve only just started but it seems to be up my street so far.
After that, I have Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends lined up, as well as Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor—I’m looking forward to both of those.
Fallow, by Daniel Shand. Published by Picador. RRP $17.99
Released 11th January 2018
