Sentimental Garbage

Episode: LIVE at Hay Festival with Jack Edwards
Host: Caroline O'Donoghue
Release Date: June 19, 2025

1. Welcome and Introduction

The episode kicks off with Caroline O'Donoghue introducing the special live recording at the Hay Festival featuring author Jack Edwards. Caroline highlights her own achievements, including her bestselling novel The Rachel Incident and her widely streamed podcast, Sentimental Garbage. She warmly welcomes Jack to the stage, setting the tone for an engaging and insightful conversation about writing, storytelling, and Jack's latest work.

2. Exploring The Rachel Incident

Caroline initiates the discussion by referencing her novel, The Rachel Incident, and its connection to Jack's work. Jack delves into the protagonist Rachel, a journalist focused on the Irish immigrant experience, and her best friend James, a comedy writer in New York. He explains how writing about writers offers narrative freedom, allowing characters to explore various locales and scenarios naturally.

Notable Quote:

“Writing about writers gives you a lot of narrative freedom because you're naturally centering somebody who's asking a lot of questions.”
(02:55)

Jack emphasizes that The Rachel Incident explores how individuals contextualize their past and define themselves through storytelling, echoing themes reminiscent of Joan Didion.

3. Friendship and Love in Storytelling

Caroline praises Jack for his portrayal of diverse forms of love in his novel, including romantic and platonic relationships. Jack explains his intention to balance these dynamics, drawing from contemporary discussions about the importance of friendship alongside romantic bonds.

Notable Quote:

“I wanted to get into the feeling that it became very normal for women my age to be like, oh, you know, living with a man in spite of myself.”
(10:13)

Jack discusses how his previous works focused on relationships with men, influenced by the post-MeToo era, and his desire to deconstruct love towards the significant men in his life.

4. The Irish Writer's Perspective

Caroline raises the topic of being an Irish woman writer and how comparisons to authors like Sally Rooney can be both beneficial and reductive. Jack shares his initial frustrations with being compared to Rooney but acknowledges the broader impact she has had on the Irish literary scene.

Notable Quote:

“There is a reason that there are so many Irish novelists, there's a reason so many Irish playwrights and artists...we are a country that invests very heavily in the arts.”
(12:53)

He elaborates on the cultural and institutional support in Ireland that fosters a rich literary environment, contrasting it with his experiences in London.

5. World-Building and Skipshock

Caroline shifts the conversation to Jack's latest project, Skipshock, a duology set in a universe where time functions differently across parallel worlds connected by a train line. Jack explains the novel’s unique take on time travel, emphasizing themes of time as a privilege and the subjective nature of time perception.

Notable Quote:

“Skipshock is a time travel novel...it's a string of related parallel worlds that are connected by a train line, and in those worlds, time kind of moves differently.”
(27:18)

He discusses how real-world events like Brexit inspired the book's exploration of travel, borders, and societal divides.

6. Writing Young Adult Fiction

Caroline probes into Jack's approach to writing young adult (YA) fiction, specifically regarding his recent duology, Skipshock. Jack expresses his love for writing in this genre, highlighting the energy and creativity that comes from engaging with teenage audiences.

Notable Quote:

“I love writing teenagers... I just think they're the most interesting part of teenage.”
(25:32)

He distinguishes YA fiction as a genre rather than an age-specific category, emphasizing its broad appeal and the way it reopens readers' hearts and minds to societal issues.

7. Narrative Techniques and Perspectives

The discussion moves to Jack’s narrative choices in Skipshock, particularly his use of different perspectives. Margot’s stories are told in the third person, capturing her awe and discovery in a new world, while Moon’s narrative is first-person, reflecting his cynicism from years of navigating parallel worlds.

Notable Quote:

“Perspective and tense... Margot is told in the third person because she's a character who's amazed by everything, while Moon is first-person because he's very cynical.”
(36:57)

This dual perspective technique creates a dynamic contrast between innocence and experience, enhancing the novel’s depth.

8. Naming Conventions and Symbolism

Caroline inquires about Jack's unique approach to naming characters in Skipshock. Jack reveals that he named characters based on various units of time from different languages, adding an additional layer of meaning and subtle Easter eggs for attentive readers.

Notable Quote:

“I'm going to name every character in this book based on a unit, a way that people measure time all over the world.”
(40:09)

This method ties into the novel’s overarching theme of time and its subjective nature.

9. Audience Questions

The live audience engages with Jack, posing thoughtful questions about privilege, time, and the role of fiction in addressing world crises.

• Privilege and Time: An audience member discusses the concept of time as a privilege, prompting Jack to reflect on how Skipshock addresses societal inequalities through its unique time dynamics.

  Notable Quote:

  “Every single person who reads this book...how would your life be different if...you actually have more time than other people in the world.”
  (43:12)

• Balancing Writing and Life: Another attendee asks for Jack’s advice on managing writing amidst life's demands. Jack emphasizes the importance of nurturing creative communities and maintaining discipline without undue pressure.

  Notable Quote:

  “The most important thing before...is to find friends who nurture creativity.”
  (49:10)

• North-South Divide in Fiction: A final question probes the deliberate parallels between the societal divides in Skipshock and real-world issues like Brexit. Jack explains his inspiration from observing London’s varied neighborhoods and his desire to invert typical socioeconomic narratives.

  Notable Quote:

  “I wanted to flip it and just make the south rich.”
  (53:10)

10. Conclusion

Caroline wraps up the session by encouraging the audience to delve into Skipshock, highlighting the novel's intricate world-building and thematic richness. Both hosts express their gratitude, closing the live recording on a high note with applause from the audience.

Enjoy reading Skipshock and stay tuned for more insightful discussions on Sentimental Garbage.