Episode 10.7: In Conversation with Kat Dunn, author of ‘Hungerstone’
Wildly, it’s becoming a bit of tradition to see out the end of the season with a podcast episode dedicated to speaking to an author and Season 10 saw us speak to the wonderfully lovely and very smart Kat Dunn, the author of ‘Hungerstone’, ‘Bitterthorn’ and the ‘Battalion of the Dead’ trilogy.
It was ‘Hungerstone’ that captured us and we had so many things to discuss about the Gothic, dark academia, women and the wonderful ‘Hungerstone’ which you can learn about right here:
FOR WHAT DO YOU HUNGER . . . ?
Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their marriage the relationship has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry's ambitions take them from London to the Peak District, to the remote, imposing Nethershaw estate, where he plans to host a hunting party. Lenore must work to restore the crumbling house and ready it for Henry's guests - their future depends on it.
But as the couple travel through the bleak countryside, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore's life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .
As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband's affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk . . .
Set against the violent wilderness of the Peaks and the uncontrolled appetite of the Industrial Revolution, HUNGERSTONE is a compulsive sapphic reworking of CARMILLA, the book that inspired DRACULA: a captivating story of appetite and desire.
With influences of the Gothic and inspiration from a classic vampire tale, ‘Hungerstone’ was something we absolutely had to read for the podcast (you can listen to the episode here) and we were so excited to get to speak to Kat herself.
In this episode we discuss:
Vampires!
The resurgence of the modern Gothic, or did it ever leave?
Women, mental health, queerness and how they all intersect
A bunch of classic Gothic and modern Gothic recommendations from Kat Dunn!
You can listen to it here:
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