Book Club Kit
I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H
Q. Tell us about your novel, The Fixer Upper. What inspired you to write this story? I kept hearing my friends tell stories about how much effort and energy they’d put into their partners, how much expectation was placed on them to “do the work.” One of my friends asked, “Why am I putting in this work to benefit his future girlfriend?” And it stuck in my head! During the pandemic, especially, the burden of emotional labor seemed to become even more visible. It became clear how much more women seemed to be doing and how they were expected to keep doing it even in the face of a global pandemic! In short, a lot of excellent women I know were very tired of the situation, so I imagined a story in which something could help them. Q. The heroine of your novel, Aly, occupies the role of the “fixer” not only in her romantic relationships, but also in her familial and professional ones. What did you learn in the process of writing Aly about the motivations of or factors that create people who find themselves in this position? I am definitely a fixer, and what became clear when I was writing Aly was that you’re never just a fixer in one area of your life. And once you’ve taken on that role for someone, it’s incredibly hard to step back from it. It becomes the natural space you operate from. If you’re the friend who always provides the
PHOTO © KAYE FORD 2021
shoulder to cry on, or you’re cheerleading from the sidelines, or even being the person who always looks at a friend’s CV before they apply to a job, it’s so difficult to step back and put yourself first. Aly is frustrated but can’t stop herself from helping, because deep down she feels her only value is in being useful. Q. The Fixer Upper explores several complicated, nuanced issues about modern relationships, in particular the concept of emotional labor, the sometimes gendered disparities in the ways this labor is doled out, and the ways in which the patriarchy contributes to these disparities. Did you always intend to write an issues-driven novel? How does the end result compare to the novel you set out to write? I know I was frustrated the same way Aly was when I first started this novel. Silly things that don’t really matter, like always being the one to do the laundry, or knowing where the address book is, or remembering to buy cards for Mother’s Day, aren’t huge problems in a relationship. But they build up, until you realize you are entirely responsible not only for your relationship, but often for someone else’s relationships, too. I’ve always been the manager in my relationships, as are a lot of my friends. Potentially because we’re “go-getter” women: we’re ambitious and busy, and it’s easier to get things done rather than delegate. Whilst the division of emotional labor is a political topic, one created by the patriarchy, it’s also a personal issue. There’s a level of personal responsibility there in trying to walk the balance of handing back responsibilities that you’ve taken, in talking about why you don’t trust someone else to
do things or why you think you have to be in control of everything. There’s a whole level of psychology behind the responsibility. It’s not just a case of saying “things should be more equal,” but figuring out why women take on more in the first place. The novel was my way of working that out, hopefully in a humorous way.
It’s not just a case of saying “things should be more equal,” but figuring out why women take on more in the first place.
Q. Your book also draws a fascinating parallel between the metaphorical, unpaid “labor” required of relationships and the literal labor Aly encounters in her marketing day job. What do you make of this connection between the demands of work and the demands required to make a relationship “work”? Again, the pandemic showed another facet of the human condition: we’re always working. We always need to be working, whether at a job or a relationship, making more money or improving our careers, learning a hobby or a new area of study. Even self-care has become a responsibility! I think the book highlights the huge amount of labor that is unseen and unpaid. The things your girlfriend does without you even realizing are often the things someone else is paying a PA to do. The background tasks that clog up our day are tiresome and exhausting, and when you’re responsible for all of them in a relationship, it can really take it out of you. Imagine how much more Aly could have done in her work life if she’d not been taking responsibility for the emotional well-being and career progression of each of those men she dated! How much more time she would have had to invest in herself, in her career and her relationships.
Q. The Fixer Upper seamlessly blends two of the romance genre’s favorite tropes—the enemiesto-lovers romance and the second-chance romance—to establish Aly’s relationship to her childhood friend, Dylan. How did you decide that those two factors would drive the central romantic tension of this book? I’m an absolute sucker for enemies-to-lovers, it’s my favorite. From Pride and Prejudice to The Hating Game, I just think there’s so much to work with when you’re drawn to this person and you’ve convinced yourself you despise them. But I also love the nostalgia of loving someone as a teenager and finding out who they are as an adult. I listened to Folklore and Evermore by Taylor Swift a lot whilst writing The Fixer Upper, and so many of her songs are lush with nostalgia about high-school love and being reunited. I loved the idea that you would come faceto-face with this person you once knew better than anyone, and they completely snubbed you, and being trapped pretending you didn’t know each other. I knew I could have a lot of fun with that scenario. Q. As much as The Fixer Upper is a romance, the story is also very much centered on Aly’s own struggle with vulnerability and emotional availability. Why was it important to you to include this narrative in a story about what we invest in other people? I love to write women who struggle with their own vulnerability because to me, being vulnerable is the bravest thing you can do. Learning to take a chance when it might not pan out, and betting on yourself, is a big deal. I think a lot of women are like Aly: struggling to take back that time for themselves, to instigate boundaries and not feel guilty about it. To learn that “no” is a full sentence and that you don’t have to make excuses for things you don’t want to do. I wanted to show a woman learning that and putting herself first. So often we see that as a selfish choice, and it makes female characters unlikable. Aly is really likable, and I wanted her to grow a backbone
and reach her potential, with or without a love story. But, of course, she deserves her love story, and a big part of that was being brave enough to believe that. Q. Some of the best characters in the novel are Tola and Eric, whose friendship with Aly begins as colleagues but evolves into much more. How did you conceive of these characters and why was it important to you to include that friendship journey in the story? We don’t get anywhere without great friends, and Tola and Eric are two of the favorite characters I’ve ever written. I based them on a mixture of people I knew and the friendships that I’m so grateful for. Tola, in particular, was inspired by some of the younger team members at my work, who just seemed to have so much more confidence and determination in demanding what they deserved. As a world-weary Millennial like Eric and Aly, being faced with this uncompromising, unapologetic way of living was inspiring. And that’s what Tola became: someone who is authentic and kind, but doesn’t apologize for going after what she wants and encourages others to be the same. Eric is also a mixture of a few people I know, and I wanted to explore what it felt like to fit in with the office culture and be the popular kid, but also want to reject it, too. Eric is working on being vulnerable in a mirror to Aly’s journey, so it felt great they could go through that together, buoyed by Tola’s energy and enthusiasm.
conversations. When I’m in writing mode, I try not to read in the same genre that I’m writing in, as I worry about taking too much influence or starting to sound like a different author (or getting imposter syndrome if the book I’m reading is too good!). So I mainly just listened to people on social media and saved memes and Twitter threads and articles about emotional labor. Once I started listening, I saw them everywhere. Q. Share a bit about your writing process. What is your writing routine like? I think I rewrote The Fixer Upper from scratch about four times. I just threw out the previous drafts and started again. The concept and the feeling were the same, but there were small changes in tone and in character backstory and the input from my agent and editors made the book what it is now. Writing is actually such a collaborative process. The book isn’t just mine, but rather it’s been pieced together with lots of help from wonderful experts, and that’s the part I love the most. Writing can be lonely, so talking and wondering and trying out things is the fun part!
She deserves her love story, and a big part of that was being brave enough to believe that.
Q. What books and novelists (or films/movies) inspired you during the writing of The Fixer Upper? As I mentioned, I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift whilst writing, which influenced a lot of the Dylan and Aly dynamic, especially to do with the nostalgia around their shared childhood. I loved Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, which really resonated with me and seemed to talk a lot about personal responsibility and the importance of your own happiness. I was regularly listening to The Guilty Feminist podcast, and the discussions and humor always made me feel like Tola and Aly would be having those
My writing routine is very instinctive; I don’t necessarily write every day. It’s a bit like a wave: when I’ve got an idea, I’ve got to let it build and wait for it to swell before I can jump in and get typing. There’s a lot of thinking and note-taking, writing snippets of conversation and questions on random pieces of paper. Then, when it’s time to write, I know, and I throw myself in full force. It becomes the only thing I do, my main priority, until the draft is done.
Sometimes it’s scary to work myself up to that, and I always worry it won’t come, but eventually everything slots into place and I’m ready to lock myself away and write.
Q. Aly’s position is one that many readers will find familiar. What do you hope readers (and those who identify as “fixers,” in particular) take away from reading The Fixer Upper?
I’m a big believer in letting the first draft be rubbish: you can’t edit a blank page, and you can second-guess yourself so much you’ll never finish anything. Instead, it’s freeing to let yourself be bad at something. I never expect my first draft to be anything but my brain figuring out the story. I write it just for me, and that takes the pressure off.
As a fixer myself, I hope readers who relate will have a look at small ways they can take back their own control or make their lives easier. Maybe consider why they have taken on that role, and what they can do to protect their time from others, to unburden themselves a bit. Sometimes just having those conversations is big enough! Q. What’s next for you?
It’s freeing to let yourself be bad at something.
I also work as a creative therapeutic facilitator, helping people use writing to explore their feelings around different scenarios, and that’s always had an impact on my writing process. Even if I’m not in the middle of a book, I’m noting down thoughts, writing poems in the Notes app on my phone, or spending time journaling. I find writing is the easiest way to figure out how I feel about something, so it’s always part of my day, whether I’m working on a book or not.
I’m working on my next novel, Dealbreakers, about an app that lets you review your dates and the trouble that comes with that! Where The Fixer Upper was about reclaiming your own time and value, Dealbreakers is about not expecting perfection from others and finding where your compromises are. Letting go of the image of your future you had in your head and living in the moment. They’re different types of vulnerability, and I hope people who’ve loved The Fixer Upper will really relate to this one, too! When I’m not writing or thinking about writing, I’m focusing on being a new parent, which is a whole new challenge for me!
Discussion Questions 1. Aly, Tola, and Eric start the Fixer Upper
to help lighten the emotional load placed on women by “fixing” their partners’ maddening quirks. What does fixing relationships look like in the real world?
2. The Fixer Uppers use their knowledge
of marketing to fix others’ relationship problems. In what ways does this story render marketing as a kind of therapy? Why do you think Aly tends to fix others over herself?
8. Why do you think Dylan never tried
to search for Aly after her sudden departure? What stopped him from asking Aly’s mother about her? What would you have done if your best friend had disappeared after such an important conversation?
9. How much of Dylan’s growth do you think
is informed by Aly’s strategic planning? How much credit can we give to Dylan, himself?
3. Why do you think the men in this story
10. If you were Dylan, would you have
4. How often in your day-to-day life do you
11. To what extent do you believe that most
5. What do you think makes Tola, Aly, and
12. Why do you think Dylan stuck with Nicki
6. Tola is bubbly, flirty, and extremely
13. In this story, we see love as a form of
7. After Aly reconnects with Dylan, she
14. In the end, Aly realizes that her
need the Fixer Upper’s bold promptings to start working on themselves? think the relationships around you inform your own? Eric’s friendship so wonderfully special? confident, which she attributes to her ability to stay true to herself. Whom in your life do you see in a similar light? notes the freeing comfort that comes with a used-to-know-everything-aboutyou kind of friend; “[people] who can see what you overcame and where you’ve come from and tell you how proud they are to see how you’ve grown.” How do your long-time friends influence how you see yourself?
forgiven Aly for taking Nicki up on her offer? Why or why not? people have the urge to fix the regular displeasures of their relationships?
for so long, through all the shenanigans? acceptance and understanding. What does love mean to you? Is love always unconditional? relationship struggles won’t always require her to fix her partner, but instead will become something for them to get through together. Do you think going through difficult times always makes you stronger, more confident, and more comfortable? How do you know when an obstacle is more trouble than a relationship is worth?