Jill Fordyce's "Belonging"

Jill Fordyce was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. She received a degree in English from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Santa Clara University. While practicing law, she continued to study writing through the Stanford Continuing Education creative writing program.

Here Fordyce dreamcasts an adaptation of Belonging, her debut novel:

I write in scenes and I love movies, so I have always imagined Belonging as a film. A little about the novel: Jenny Hayes is raised in a dreary, faithless home, so she paints her room the color of a tangerine, collects prayer cards, and surrounds herself with music. She has a self-reliance that both protects her and keeps her from the love and closeness she desires. As an adult, Jenny returns home to confront the wounds of her childhood: the mother who abused her in subtle ways; the father who allowed it; the boy she once loved; the landscape that is beautiful, barren, and stifling; the secrets kept for generations. Spanning three decades, Belonging is about first love and heartbreak, friendship and secrets, family and forgiveness, hometowns and coming of age, and memory and music. The heart of the story is Jenny’s struggle to undo the binds of a childhood that have deeply affected her life, the painful path to love endured by children raised in alcoholic families, and the grim reality of believing you must hide a part of yourself in order to belong.

My dream director for the film adaptation of Belonging would be Sofia Coppola. I loved her most recent film, Priscilla, for several reasons—all of which would be important to a film version of Belonging: a strong female perspective, a commitment to authentic depiction of the time period, a soft retro color palette, and an evocative and original soundtrack. Music is an integral part of Belonging, spanning years and genres, a way to bring the reader to a specific time and place, a nod to the Bakersfield Sound, and also, a window into Jenny’s lonely bedroom, where music insulates her from the chaos of her home. I listened to a lot of music while writing Belonging and created my own soundtrack along the way (Belonging: Soundtrack to the Novel is available on Spotify). I also feel like Sofia Coppola would also uniquely understand the material, having grown up in an Italian family in a part of rural California.

My dream cast would be Camila Morrone as Jenny, Timothée Chalamet as Henry, Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Billy, and Mark Ruffalo as Uncle Gino. Camila Morrone has a lovely understated, earthy, and earnest appeal, while also conveying a quiet strength, which I think would be perfect for Jenny. I have always seen Timothée Chalamet as Henry. Physically, he has the same beautiful eyes and tall, thin build. Emotionally, I think he would be able to bring out Henry’s whimsy and fun, and also his vulnerability—the depth of his pain and his secrets. Seeing Hero Fiennes Tiffin in First Love, I was reminded of Billy. He is strong and sweet, part teenage boy, part grown man. I have loved Mark Ruffalo since 13 Going on 30. He conveys such a gentleness, care, and warmth, which is the hallmark of Uncle Gino.

Visit Jill Fordyce's website.

The Page 69 Test: Belonging.

--Marshal Zeringue