Susannah Begbie’s first novel, The Deed is set on a Riverina farm. Photo: Supplied.
Author Susannah Begbie chose the Riverina as the ideal setting for her debut novel which explores familial conflict and the challenges of rural succession on a family farm that no-one wants to work.
The practising GP and first-time novelist will be speaking at the Wagga Library next Thursday, and Susannah is looking forward to bringing The Deed to the people who will understand the landscape best.
“The reason it’s set in the Riverina is because it’s just so beautiful and it has the kind of landscape that I wanted for the family property,” she said.
“It’s really got it all with the river flats and grazing country and then the more scrubby hilly country.”
The Deed centres on farming patriarch, Tom Edwards, who decides to get the last laugh on his absent children and make them work to inherit his $20 million farm.
“The four children are all adults now, and they have all separated and moved out to various parts of Australia, and they all assume that the property will be handed down as expected,” Susannah said.
“But Tom has decided that they don’t deserve it because they’ve all left and they’re not showing any interest.
“So as a final joke, he sets a condition in his will that says that they have to build his coffin in four days, or they do not inherit.”
The manuscript for The Deed earned Susannah Begbie a two-book deal. Photo: Supplied.
Susannah’s journey from medicine to writing began by accident with a blog recounting her adventures as a locum in Ireland.
“The places I went to were beautiful and the people I met were fantastic and often hilarious and so I started writing home about that,” she recalled.
“I wasn’t passionate about writing as a kid or anything like that, but I found that I just loved it!”
Susannah embraced her newfound love of storytelling which she describes as the complete opposite of her work as a doctor.
“In doctoring, I’m looking for facts and yes/no answers and definite outcomes where I can be sure I’ve got the right answer,” she said.
“But in writing, I’m doing the opposite and diving into the unknown and just swimming about there to see what comes up.”
The Deed was more than a decade in the making and Susannah said she kept it to herself until the manuscript was finally taking shape.
“I liken it to an artist who is painting a picture and people say, ‘Can we have a look at it now?’ – but it’s nowhere near completion and so the artist says, ‘No, I’m not ready for that,'” she said.
“It’s the luxury of the first novel because no-one knows about it and there are no expectations.
“I was able to take as long as I wanted and it was about 10 years before I let anyone read it.”
Expectations shifted in 2022 when the manuscript was awarded the Richell Prize for Emerging Writers and Susannah secured a two-book contract with Hachette Australia.
“The pressure’s on now and I’m writing the second one at the moment,” she said with a laugh.
“You’ve got to front up when you sign the contract!”
The Deed has attracted glowing reviews since its release in June with Richell Prize founder and author Hannah Richell describing it as a “dazzling debut full of humour and heart”.
Susannah Begbie will be speaking at the Wagga Library on Thursday 17 October from 6 pm.
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