Exeter University student's debut novel an immediate success

A PhD candidate whose critically acclaimed debut novel has been released this week says she is still struggling to comprehend how much her life has changed since the completion of her book.

Fiona Williams has been catapulted into the realm of publishing deals and author speaking tours by the success of The House of Broken Bricks, which she finished in 2021 despite having little creative writing experience.

Signed by Faber after she won the prestigious Bridport Prize, Fiona has spent the past two years working with the publisher preparing for the book’s launch in the UK, with further releases taking place later this year in the United States of America and Germany.

Now, following its official UK publication on Thursday, the author – who has been a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter since 2022 – admits she is still coming to terms with her new reality.

“It’s intimidating, overwhelming, fun and scary and the imposter syndrome is off the scale right now,” she says, candidly. “I keep waiting for someone to tell me that this isn’t real!”

The House of Broken Bricks tells the story of a mixed-heritage family of four who live in Somerset. Narrated over the course of a year from the viewpoint of each member, the story blends different genres and themes, from nature to nurture, the comedy of rural idiosyncrasies to the drama of a family repairing itself from past trauma.