Wednesday 28th April 2021 – An Interview with Emma Broadley

Hello everyone. I hope you're well. I'm sending you so many hugs because this is all very tough and exhausting. Hope you can imagine the hugs. 

Today, I'm sharing with you an interview I had with Emma Broadley. Emma and I met in our first year at university, on the first day that I started my undergraduate degree in September 2016. (Almost five years, Emma!!!) Emma was my flatmate at Royal Holloway University of London; we were in rooms next door to each other. I am so incredibly lucky and grateful that we somehow ended up in the same flat because I don't think we would have crossed paths otherwise, which is devastating. Emma is the kindest, sweetest, most wholesome, loving person you will ever meet. She's smart (she studied Maths at university, in my eyes, that means you're clever), very down-to-earth, but also very funny, and I love her to pieces. When I asked her to do the interview she told me she was honoured to have been asked. I am very happy she agreed to do this. 

Emma's interview: 

Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Emma. I'm 22 years old, and I work as a financial advisor in England. (I had to push her to get more information out of her.) Lisanne and I met at university. We were flatmates in first year, housemates in second and third year, and we've been inseparable ever since. (Though I haven't seen Emma in over a year in person.)

Emma has allowed me to put in this little story for you all: one of my favourite memories of us, and earliest, is how I used to knock on her door (which was always ajar) and walk into her room. She would be sat at her desk and would usually say: 'I'm just doing my maths homework'. I then would say: 'I wanted to talk to you about boys'. Our priorities were clearly in different places, and I'm a little ashamed to say that not much has changed since then. But she always listens to me, and I am so incredibly grateful. 

How long have you been reading books? 

Forever. My whole entire life. I've always had a book on the go. Sometimes it takes me a few months to read a book, sometimes a few days. At university, I was made to read Harry Potter by my housemates because I hadn't read the books or seen any of the films. Once I had read a book we watched the corresponding film, much to my housemate's pleasure. It did actually take us the whole two years.

What kind of books do you read? 

Teen fiction, young adult, rom-coms/romance. (Emma asks me if 'rom-com' classifies as a genre. Having now looked this up, yes, it is a genre.) I like the sappy stuff, but also like dystopian novels like The Hunger Games. And Harry Potter! Which is sci-fi. Basically, I like the same books I've liked since I was 12. I also read Maths textbooks. (Which I find absolutely thrilling.) That was a joke! It was a joke between me and my mum! We don't need to discuss that though.

What book are you reading now/have you just read? 

I've just finished Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. (Cue Emma's disbelief as I tell her that I haven't been able to read this book despite it being very much my kind of book.) I really loved it! I just like the title. She was such a strong, independent woman! Though you don't have to be fully independent... You can rely on others and have friends. I just think she's such a role model. Once she made a friend and got a cat, anyway. It's about friendship and friendship with animals. Life is better if you have a cat, or a dog, preferably a dog, but a cat works too! Eleanor's relatable, funny, and she's awkward in social situations. Everyone can relate to her.

Why did you choose this book? 

It sounds quite posh. (Coming from someone who used to get called 'posh' all the time in our university house.) It's got a good, fun title. Also, it was in the Kindle Deal of the Day (Kindle Daily Deal?)! I'd heard of it being good, so I thought I'd give it a try! I always like to look in the Kindle Deal of the Day! I check them every day. My sister goes on the clothes websites and I go on the Kindle Deals. 

Is there anything you've learned from it? 

Life's better with a cat. (See above.) It's okay to share your problems. A problem shared is a problem halved. (Emma always has the best sayings.) It's okay to let people help you. You don't have to be a strong independent woman all the time. It's tiring.

What would you tell someone who wanted to read this book? 

Read it. It's very good. It's relatable, enjoyable. You're rooting for Eleanor. (She tells me she doesn't think she's persuasive enough.) You will not regret reading this book! It's extraordinary! ('That's not really me though', she says.) It's a nice feel-good book. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry.

Thank you, Emma, for letting me interview you. 

This was all done through fits of giggles, and topics that steered us away from the interview. It was an absolute joy.

Books discussed: (click on the titles)

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins