John Jarrold

Helen-Rose Owen was raised by a punk and a Quaker in the North of England, and has a corresponding knack for disobedience. She moved to Belfast for university where she studied theology, and then lived and worked at Northern Ireland’s oldest peace centre for two years. She recently finished an MA in history where she concentrated on themes of religion, identity and conflict. She has had articles published here and there, but never published any fiction.

Her novel Graceland can be compared to the work of Becky Chambers, Nnedi Okorafor, and Naomi Alderman. Graceland has a complex, dynamic woman in its central role; it explores serious themes with an open heart and a sense of humour; and uses its speculative premise to address ideas rooted in the real world and engage in contemporary culture. It is concerned with how we derive meaning from our lives and how our relationships define, or fail to define, our identities.