Daisy Johnson on how landscape shapes us

Daisy Johnson made headlines when she became the youngest person ever shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018, when she was 27. But, as she tells us in this episode, her shortlisted novel Everything Under was born of a time of great transition and growth.

Water ripples throughout Daisy’s work, from the remote rain-lashed house in Sisters to the ambiguous murk of Fen, with its shapeshifting characters who are inseparable from their landscape. On the banks of the Thames in Oxford, the author explains how water has accompanied her throughout her life, from the fenlands of her adolescence to the canals and rivers of her adulthood and matrescence.

Daisy Johnson's latest publication, The Hotel, is a collection of short stories that offer the perfect accompaniment to autumn evenings. Long Wave, her next book, will be out next year.

This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson on my ⁠website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠.

Use code WWGAUTUMN at ⁠⁠⁠Crocus.co.uk⁠⁠⁠'s checkout to save 20% on full priced plants. It is valid when you spend a minimum of £50 on full priced plants and / or bulbs. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other codes or offers.