Interview - Jon Doust, author of Boy on a Wire

Sent to boarding school at a young age, Jack Muir decides he’s a survivor. He gets by with a quick wit and a fast mouth. Others aren’t so lucky. This story from stand-up comedian and writer, Jon Doust, is humorous and deeply poignant—a close-to-the-bone tale of how underdogs survive the system.

Kiri Falls talks with Albany, WA, author Jon Doust about his novel Boy on a Wire

What has your previous writing experience been?
I’ve had two children’s books published, Magpie Mischief and Magwheel Madness.

How different was the experience of writing a novel for older readers?
Quite different. The story was very close to me. It was draining, a bit emotional. Yeah, it was emotional. And I did a lot of research, because I wanted to reconnect with the time. That was fascinating. There were things that I didn’t remember happening the way they happened.

Was it a difficult process or did you enjoy it?
It was difficult but I enjoyed reflecting with passion, with those emotional undercurrents. Or not so much enjoyed, that’s not really the word. But I wouldn’t shy away from writing something like that again, I’m not afraid of it. In the privacy of my own head, that is. Now that I have to go out and talk about it it might be different!

I expect you’ll often be asked the kind of question I’m about to ask: where did the character of Jack emerge from?
From deep within (laughs). The starting point was me. But he became somebody other than me. Certain aspects of myself are idealised, I might say. Some bits are not like me, some bits are worse than me. Jack is an expansion of some of my characteristics and a reflection of others.
All the characters are compilations. It’s difficult to do justice to the different personalities. It’s true that they just have to fit the story. You see, I didn’t start writing knowing what the book was about. The book simply emerged. Everybody was rewritten at least once, Jack more than once. They had to suit the book, and then they had to suit themselves.

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