Q&A with Níamh Busby
Leave it to flash fiction to remind us that sometimes an apple is an apple, and sometimes an apple is an unstoppable symbol of grief. “Biggest Apples This Side of the Border” by Níamh Busby so effectively captures this very moment, that sudden shock to the system. We are delighted to share a Q&A between Busby and Emily Linehan, our Managing Editor.
What has inspired your writing style?
It was actually Lucy Caldwell’s Multitudes that showed me what a short story could do. I loved that collection and it really broadened my mind about how you can write about so many different things, explore emotions and memories. I try to read a lot of short stories to remind myself of this. I’m inspired a lot by the works of Claire Keegan and Colm Tóibín, they are truly masters at what they do. A big inspiration is also just the stories that my family tell and I hope that my writing captures that in some way.
How did the idea for ‘Biggest Apples This Side of the Border’ come to you?
It actually came from someone in my work leaving a bowl of apples out in the staff room, just like in the story, and it triggered a memory of going to Donegal with family friends and picking apples with their son. Thankfully unlike in the story everyone is alive and well!
What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on something that might eventually become a novel. It also focuses on grief and the secrets that only really come out after someone has passed away. When I need a break from that I tend to focus on short stories and poems that can be inspired by literally anything and everything in my daily life, though I spend most days staring at blank pages.
Do you find yourself often working with shorter-form stories, or is this atypical of your usual work?
Jan Carson’s Postcard Stories collection was my first exposure to flash fiction and it’s been such a fun and freeing experience. I always wrote long-form and then dabbled in poetry but flash fiction is just a perfect snapshot of something, it’s surprising how much of a gut-punch there can be in a mere 300 words.
Where does the character of Aoife come from in this story? Do you find yourself drawing on your own experiences to flesh out your characters?
Aoife has a lot of my memories. The apple picking of course and the story about an aunt falling out of a tree is also something my mum told me and still gives me the fear. I think it’s nice to give a character or a story a small piece of yourself because that’s what I like reading, I like being able to relate to something even if it’s just one sentence. Though I do think Aoife has a bit of Cushla from Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses about her - she’s a teacher (which I’m not) and she has a lot going on internally that never really touches the outside to others. The grief though and the need to do something physical with it is something I’m still figuring out for myself.
