Annaleese Jochems: Crafting a Niche in the Literary World
Stepping into the world of thriller novels, Jochems has managed to leave an indelible mark in a relatively short span. Her journey as an author began post-university; a period marked by discovery, exploration, and growth. During this time of her life, she found herself intrigued by a superclass that she refers to as the “nimiety universe”, a term she coined to describe those who are deemed non-essential.
The seeds of her debut novel, ‘Baby’, were sown in these fervent musings. Profoundly impacted by the exploration of privilege and its deprivation, she sculpted a narrative centered around a young woman born in affluence, and the fascinating turn of events that follow when it is stripped away.
Journeying through Jochems’ world, you can very well expect the unexpected. Her debut as a novelist in 2017 with ‘Baby’ took the literary world by storm, earning her the prestigious Adam Prize from the International Institute of Modern Letters and the 2018 Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction.