An Interview with “White Feathers” Author, Susan Lanigan

Susan Lanigan’s debut novel, White Feathers, tackles tough issues through the lens of the early 20^th century that we still struggle with today … issues like bullying, mental illness, the fallout of war and the impact of stigma. I am pleased to welcome Susan to Great War 100 Reads today to share some reflections about her work.

Why did you write this book?

Susan Lanigan: At first it was simply because I was interested in World War One. Recently I unearthed the essay I’d written for my final history exam in secondary school. It was about the Battle of Verdun and “bleeding the French white”. I’d read about it in a book called Our Own Worst Enemy by Norman Dixon written back in the Eighties and it had fascinated me.

I’d been working on a short story on the theme of the white feather, including references to Bloomsbury…