Chasing Sunflowers is the Bookshelf choice in the latest edition of the Languedoc & Provence Sun. If you haven't seen a copy you can read the article here:
Chasing Sunflowers
Chasing Sunflowers is the
compelling new novel by Midi author
Alison Boulton set in Arles and Amsterdam and peppered with insights into the
work of artist Vincent van Gogh.
The book:
Kate has moved, somewhat reluctantly,
to Holland. Searching for something to fill the gap in her life now son Luke is
at school, she decides to study Van Gogh’s paintings. She explores his work through
classes taught by the enigmatic artist and teacher, Rudy de Jong. Rudy paints
her in his studio high above the canals and Kate discovers her bolder alter
ego, Kaatje. Kate’s story is interwoven with fragments from
Van Gogh’s own and she eventually decides to trace Vincent’s journey to
Provence and see the sunflower fields that so inspired him for herself.
The author:
In 2002 Alison Boulton moved to Languedoc Roussillon with
husband Chris Burns and their family, to renovate a neglected château and set
up a little holiday business in the foothills of the Cevennes. Fresh from a
Creative Writing MA she had lots of romantic ideas about tucking herself away
to write novels, but the realities of establishing the business and earning a
living in a new country meant those plans were postponed. Now the children have
grown up, the Château du Fraissinet welcomes holidaymakers every summer season
and the dream of publishing a book has finally come true.
***
The inspiration:
Alison says: Whilst it is definitely fiction, Chasing Sunflowers also draws on my own experience and
this gives the book an authentic feel. The story blends passion with family
drama and most readers will be able to relate to the heroine, Kate, as she
struggles to establish herself in a new place.
The novel was conceived a couple of
winters ago and it began quite simply with a mental image of a small boy
painting sunflowers for his mother after a trip to the Van Gogh museum. I lived
in Amsterdam for three years with my (then) young family but the vision I
conjured of four-year-old Luke never happened as it is written. Neither, I must
add, did the rest of the book! Like most writers I find the writing process is
part planning and part unconscious creation. I start with an idea and a plot
outline but often the imagination takes over and creates something new and
occasionally unforeseen.
The original image of Luke with his
picture grew into a short story and then, quite slowly, into a novel. Luke’s
experience of immersion in Dutch school and the struggle of learning a second
language is something that many L&P
Sun readers will identify with. Initially, he struggles to fit in and looks
forward to his friend Henry visiting from England. This is echoed in the novel by
Van Gogh waiting in the Yellow House in Arles for Gauguin, and painting the Sunflowers pictures to welcome his
friend.
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Many readers will already be familiar
with the outlines of Vincent’s story. He was born in a small town in the
Netherlands, the eldest son of a Protestant preacher and seems to have been a
very intense and serious young man who found it difficult to connect with other
people and was often lonely. As an adult he suffered from severe bouts of poor
mental health. He was very aware of the problem and voluntarily admitted
himself to asylums on more than one occasion, waiting there until he felt well
enough to return to the world. His parents were disappointed when he chose to
pursue a ‘career’ as an artist but his brother, Theo, spotted his potential and
supported him, sending him money so he could concentrate on his painting. Theo
continued to do this even when he was struggling to support his own family on
limited funds.
In 1888 Van Gogh travelled to Arles in
search of the sun, light and colour that he was unable to find in northern
Europe. This was one of the most creative periods of his life and masterpiece
after masterpiece emerged from the tiny ‘Studio of the South’ in the Yellow
House at the Place Lamartine. It was a breakdown here that led to his famous split
with Gauguin and the severance of Vincent’s ear. Today, Vincent van Gogh is
widely held to have been a genius whose bold use of colour and passion for
painting the world as he saw it, changed art forever. But sadly, his incredible
talent was not widely recognised until after his death.
When I moved to Amsterdam I was already
a fan of Van Gogh so the museum was an immediate attraction and I visited many
times. It is housed in an impressive, modern building and has a permanent queue
outside! When I came to the south of France in 2002 I was immediately drawn to
Arles because of its Van Gogh connection, but returning in 2011 when I was
researching the novel gave it a whole new perspective. Like Kate in Chasing Sunflowers, I completed the Van Gogh tour shown
in the tourist leaflet and would definitely recommend it for admirers of
Vincent’s work.
The Van Gogh Foundation in Arles was not
built when I wrote the initial draft of the book but I have gone back for a
visit. It is a joy to see Vincent’s paintings in a city that was his home
during such a vital and creative period of his life.
Alison Boulton is also author of Tom’s Daughters available on Amazon for Kindle.
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