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Amelia Giudici’s debut novel Anya and the Light Above the Ocean will have readers wondering.  Wondering, what is happening, could that happen, what would I do…

With characters to champion or completely not trust at all, the story should entice and intrigue your upper key stage 2 and key stage 3 readers.

Amelia drew upon her study of Philosophy at Cambridge University in writing this book and has very kindly answered our questions about her thought provoking novel…

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I know you studied Philosophy, how long has this story been percolating in your brain and has it changed drastically since you had the initial idea?

I did! As part of studying philosophy, you learn about lots of different thought experiments (imaginary scenarios that try and test out different ideas), Anya was partly inspired by some of these.

The ending of the story has changed drastically! But the first half of the book’s plot, and the key twist at its heart, has remained very similar throughout.

Anya is such a great character, what would you love to say to her if you met her?

Thank you so much! Without giving away spoilers, I’d love to know how she’s doing now and the ways in which her life has changed since the end of the book.

There’s some morally questionable characters, how is it writing them?

Lots of fun! I really wanted their motivations to feel grounded in something plausible and real. Mr Eidner’s villainy is that his desire for profit clouds his ability to see people as people, something unfortunately resonant in our actual world.

Which character was the trickiest to write (without giving anything away)?

Paramjeet! When I first started writing the book, I thought he’d be a Miss Minton-like character (from Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to the River Sea). However, I quickly realised something more complex was going on for him, and this took a couple of drafts to get right.

Do you think Anya would read this book?  Why or why not.

Ohh, I’m not sure! I think the experience she goes through is so specific and challenging, it might be difficult to read ‘someone else’s’ account of it. But if she wrote her own book, I’d be desperate to read it!

It’s thoroughly thought provoking, what would you love readers to take from it?

Thank you! Firstly, I really wanted the book to excite readers – I’ve tried hard to make it as propulsive, heartfelt and page turning as possible. I also really hope that the ideas and questions contained within the story form part of that excitement, and really challenge readers. I’d love for this to be a book people think about long after they’ve finished it.

Would you row out and touch the light?  Can you share a brave thing you’ve done?

I’m not a strong rower like Anya, so would probably capsize pretty quickly in the storm. I don’t think I’d even make it to the Light!

I’m also not very brave, but sometimes I have to pretend to be. I work as a teacher, so I often have to remove spiders from the classroom, reassuring the children that there’s nothing to be scared of – even though I’m terrified! Last year, I got stung whilst removing a wasp and then had to continue with the lesson.

If it’s possible to answer without spoiling, do you think the events in the book could happen??!?!

I think it’s technically possible (we worked really hard in the edit to ensure everything was coherent and had its own internal logic), but – thankfully – unlikely. If it did happen, I would have so many more questions!

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Many thanks to Amelia for answering our questions.  If your curiosity’s peaked and this might be a great one to share with your class you can find it below with our school discount applied.