Interviewing Sammy H K Smith

Hellooo! I recently reviewed Anna by Sammy H K Smith a very intelligent piece of science fiction exploring the toll sexual abuse had on a character in a dystopian world. Very character focused and one that handles a difficult subject sensitively. Sammy kindly agreed to talk to me about the book and other subjects.

How would you book tempt Anna?

I would say that ANNA is a novel that explores the psychological impact of sexual and physical abuse on a survivor, and looks at the way society reacts to said abuse and the politics of power and control.

It’s a cross between Sleeping With The Enemy and the Road, with a splash of the gendered inequality of the Handmaid’s Tale and a sprinkle of The Passion of New Eve.

What drew you to a tale exploring abuse and surviving through it?

My day job has been focused on sexual and domestic abuse for the last 15 years. I work within an arena protecting vulnerable people and deal with both perpetrators and survivors of said areas daily. I initially wanted to write a more lighthearted piece of feminist dystopian fiction that focused less on the abuse and emotions, and more about revenge. I quickly realised though that I ran the risk of falling into the trap I hated so much (see below!) and that it was a disservice to those I worked with.

I wanted to write something that made the reader think and feel, and to understand what it was I was creating and have those uncomfortable thoughts and heartbreak for our main character and how she was broken.

What made you think about a dystopian setting for this tale? Any challenges creating your world

I’ll be honest – the dystopian setting was secondary to me. I’ve always described this as a dystopian feminist story, but perhaps it would be better described as a psychological feminist horror set in a dystopia? Small change but gives different expectations.

I think ANNA could absolutely be a contemporary setting – and that’s sort of the point. This is a story about ANNA, about her PTSD and how a perpetrator can break someone through systemic and calculated abuse. It could be set almost anywhere but dystopia for me allowed for the ability to have those support networks broken, communication null and void, and really push the extremes of isolation and make the subject matter and core themes as stark and suffocating as possible.

Also, I work with this subject matter daily and I wanted a release. SFF allows me that release!

My biggest challenges for this world was ensuring that my reasons for world war seemed believable – afterall, I wanted Anna to be an authentic person and so my world needed to tick that box too. I researched the MAD doctrine, looked at stock markets, previous conflicts and decided to build a world based on corporate greed, power and control, and the slow decline of viable fossil fuels and food sources.

I absolutely don’t go into detail with the dystopia and world – and that was a mutual decision with my publisher and I. We agreed to make the scene-setting as neutral as possible to ensure that readers could picture themselves and/or connect with the narrative and themes.

Sexual abuse and the fantasy genre have had many problematic encounters. When should it be used and what lines shouldn’t be crossed?

Good question. I’m a huge believer in having purpose in what you write, and choosing actions and scenarios to move the narrative forward but in a way to avoid tropes as best as possible.

I think SFF is improving on the whole ‘raped wench, evil bad guy’ narrative, but I still feel that there have been occasions where rape is used to show a reader ‘look, this is a bad guy. Look at him/her. All grim and dark,’ and the survivors(s) become characters with no purpose. Or worse, they become a caricature of their pre-rape selves and we’re not shown why and how this happens.  

I like to think that we all know that rape is an ugly, evil crime – but do we ever sit and consider how a survivor has been left after the act? Often the survivor isn’t given a POV in the fiction piece and so we have this heinous crime that’s been committed, but no follow-up.

I’m not sure I can arbitrate and say when the line shouldn’t be crossed (just as I’ll never write something with sexual abuse and tell a reader this is how a survivor will absolutely react, my work is just an example), but as a writer if you create a situation and doubt its purpose yourself, look at the work as a whole and really think about why you’re including it. Are you doing so with honesty and earnest purpose? Or are you crossing that line to be cool and edgy? I’ve said before that I feel SFF (and obviously speculative fiction) is a wonderful genre for exploring social commentary, emotions, and injustices and it’s a genre that looks to better itself with inclusivity and learn from past mistakes – and with that comes new voices, new ideas, new avenues of exploration and ‘what ifs’ .

Anna and Will’s encounters show their various facets and how other people see them which for me was a key part of the story. How did you approach their character arcs?

Oh absolutely it was key. We all have (whether consciously or otherwise) different sides of ourselves that we share with others, and parts we keep hidden. It was always important to me that we know early on that ‘Anna’ is not really Anna. She is our narrator and she can be unreliable at times. This isn’t saying she’s lying, she’s not. She’s human and with that comes all of shades of grey and a background and past, and while this character of Anna she creates is docile and compliant, she is not and she has to remind herself of this constantly.

Survivors often hide away and adapt as a self-preservation technique. If they’re quiet, submissive and get the housework done, maybe their partner won’t beat them. If they agree to sex, maybe they won’t get a black eye or a broken rib.

She is however broken down and coercively controlled by Will. I wanted him to be the embodiment of the often used ‘Mr Right and Mr Wrong’ characters used by women’s charities warning of narcissistic and perpetrator traits and behaviours. Often an abuser will turn on the charm to those around their target and isolate them further, while behind closed doors the cruelty and dominant traits come out in full force. Will believes he loves her, earnestly so, and that’s something I’ve seen often at work.

When writing I often found myself thinking about what I would do in that situation, and how I’ve seen others react and honestly, with sexual violence it’s incredibly rare for a survivor to physically fight back against their attacker. It’s not a case of ‘why didn’t they fight?’, it’s often a primal survival instinct from our lizard side of the brain for which we have no control. A self-preservation technique, if you will!

What else can we look forward to from you next?

Well, I’ve had a lot of people come away from Anna asking questions about the characters and world, so I’ve started a second standalone – it’s from a different perspective and tentatively called EMMA. It will follow another character with their own trials and tribulations in this world and in no particular order we have the following key words: human trafficking, dementia, drugs, power, epilepsy, murder, whodunit, romance and more…

Readers, you’ll be happy to know I’m looking to focus more on the history of the world this time!

I also have a few fantasy pieces on the go that are much lighter in tone and themes.

Due to work and life I write quite slowly nowadays though, and under this tough exterior I’m ridiculously soft and insecure so I go months doubting myself and writing nary a word!

If there was one book (not your own) that you wish you could get everyone to read what would it be and why?

Just one?!

It would have to be my most favourite fantasy of all time – Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey.

This book was a game-changer for me. It embodied everything I love in the fantasy genre. Beautiful writing, complex storylines, the speculative notion of free-will, gods, religion, sexuality, love, political courts, and most importantly a simply wonderful strong female lead. I remember reading the book for the first time and coming away with the biggest book hangover I have ever experienced.

"That which yields," I said, feeling a chill despite the mild wind and hugging my elbows, "is not always weak."

Chapter 68, Page 658 – Kushiel’s Dart