Annaleese Jochems (born 1994) is a New Zealand author and bookseller. Her debut novel ''Baby'' (2017) won the

Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing The Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing was set up in 1996 by benefactors Denis and Verna Adam. It is awarded to an outstanding MA student at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington. History Th ...

and the Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction at the

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...

Life and career

Jochems was born in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and ...

in 1994, and grew up on a farm in

Pakaraka Pakaraka is a settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand, at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1 and New Zealand State Highway 10, 10, in the district the Ngāpuhi tribe called Tai-a-mai. Demographics Pakara ...

. Her father is a beef farmer and her mother is a teacher, and she has two younger brothers. She has said she decided to become a writer when she was 14. Jochems studied creative writing, first at the

Manukau Institute of Technology Established in 1970, Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) ( mi, Te Whare Takiura o Manukau) is a large Category One institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Category One is the highest possible educational rating as evaluated by the ...

and subsequently at the

International Institute of Modern Letters The International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) ( mi, Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o te Ao) is a centre of creative writing based within Victoria University of Wellington. Founded in 2001, the IIML offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses (i ...

where she completed a Master of Arts. She was the recipient of the

in 2016 for her draft manuscript, which was published as ''Baby'' by

Victoria University Press Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books. History Vi ...

in 2017. ''Baby'' is about a young woman who steals her father's money and runs away with her female personal trainer; the two purchase a boat named ''Baby''. Jochems has said that the novel was inspired by criticism of ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

'' and a desire to subvert stereotypical gender dynamics, as well as by her inability to find a job and a feeling of being "surplus" to society. Fellow New Zealand author

Eleanor Catton Eleanor Catton (born 24 September 1985) is a New Zealand novelist and screenwriter. Born in Canada, Catton moved to New Zealand as a child and grew up in Christchurch. She completed a master's degree in creative writing at the International In ...

has described the book as "sultry, sinister, hilarious, and demented". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the novel's main character, Cynthia, as "a memorable addition to the growing coterie of unapologetic antiheroines (dis)gracing the pages of contemporary fiction". In 2018 ''Baby'' was shortlisted for the top fiction award at the

, and received the Hubert Church Award for the best first book. It was also longlisted for the

Ngaio Marsh Award The Ngaio Marsh Awards (formerly Ngaio Marsh Award), popularly called the Ngaios, are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand to recognise excellence in crime fiction, mystery, and thriller writing. The Awards were established by jour ...

for best crime novel. The film rights were acquired by Wild Card Films in 2018, and

Scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...

published the novel in the UK and United States in 2019. In June 2018 Jochems and her mother opened a secondhand bookshop called Book Hound in Newtown.

References

External links

Jochems' profile
by

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the New Zealand Book Council) is a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand. History It was established in 1972 as a response to UNESCO's ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jochems, Annaleese 1994 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand women writers People from the Bay of Islands International Institute of Modern Letters alumni