"Jean is, in the words of its author, a novel about "alienation, told from the inside out". Set at a reform school over the sweltering summer of 1976, the heat rises as Jean fights (and fucks) the other boys, conflict and desire coalescing until the novel reaches its conclusion: his decision to walk out of his life for good. Dunnigan explores the ethics of early sexual experiences, British class dynamics and the crushing weight of - particularly masculine - conformity."
"If Jean's experience at the all-boys' school is full of angst as he grapples with who he is, the writing process wasn't so different. It took seven years and several versions to bring him to life. The secret, in the end, was capturing the truth that selfhood is painfully unknowable, especially when you're 17."
"I grew up with stories about this family member, so I had an "impression" of this person. The mythology was that they chose to walk out of their life. I was obsessed with why someone would do that - what forces coalesce to create the pressure vacuum that pushes someone out."
Jean is a debut novel set at an all-boys' reform school during the summer of 1976, following a teenager navigating conflict, desire, and identity. The narrative examines alienation from within, exploring early sexual experiences, British class dynamics, and the pressures of conformity. The protagonist ultimately decides to walk out of his life entirely. The novel took seven years and multiple versions to complete, with the author discovering that capturing the unknowable nature of selfhood at seventeen was central to the work. The writing process paralleled the character's internal struggle, as both grappled with fundamental questions of identity and belonging.
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