EMILY EDWARDS

THE AUTHOR TACKLES A VERY TIMELY AND CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT

Emily Edwards must have some kind of sixth sense. She got the idea for her novel The Herd, which is about childhood vaccinations, back in 2018 – long before the pandemic.

“I was heavily pregnant and bouncing on a birthing ball watching our vaccinehesitant doula argue with my pro-vaccination husband about whether or not we intended to vaccinate our unborn baby,” the author tells WHO. “I was struck by how emotional they both became and thought it would make a great topic for a novel. Just for the record, we have vaccinated our kids!”

In The Herd, Edwards tells the story of best friends and mums, Bryony and Elizabeth. While one mother’s daughter suffers from a serious illness, the other is an anti-vaxxer. When Bryony tells a white lie before a child’s birthday party – that her kids have had a shot for measles – the results are catastrophic. The drama plays out in a courtroom battle, six months after the death of Elizabeth’s baby.

While Edwards admits the subject matter is currently highly controversial, it didn’t make her think twice about whether she should go ahead with the tale.

“I often find the most controversial topics to be the most interesting,” she admits.

So timely has been the release during the COVID-19 era, that the rights to The Herd were immediately snapped up by Sharon Horgan. The writer and producer is the creator behind Divorce, a drama series that starred Sarah Jessica Parker, and British comedy

Catastrophe. “I’m currently working on the TV adaptation and a new novel,” Edwards reveals.

(Out now)