Jenny Downham (born 1964) is a British novelist and an ex-actress who has published four books.

Career

Her debut novel, '' Before I Die'', is the fictional account of the last few months of a sixteen-year-old girl who has been dying of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

for four years. The book won the 2008

Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is s ...

. It was short listed for the 2008

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...

and the 2008 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year and nominated for the 2008 Carnegie Medal and the 2008

Booktrust Teenage Prize The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded ...

. In 2012 it was adapted into a film called ''

Now Is Good ''Now Is Good'' is a 2012 teen romantic drama film written and directed by Ol Parker, based on the 2007 novel '' Before I Die'' by Jenny Downham. The film, which stars Dakota Fanning, Jeremy Irvine and Paddy Considine, centres on Tessa, a te ...

'' and starred Dakota Fanning. Downham's second novel, '' You Against Me'', was published in December 2010. The book is a novel about family, loyalty, and the choices which we have to make. Her third novel, '' Unbecoming'', published in 2015, is a story of three generations of women and the uncovering of family secrets. Her fourth, ''Furious Thing'', published in October 2019, was shortlisted in the children's book category of that year's

Costa Book Awards The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in United Kingdom, UK and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first ...

. In January 2025 she co-authored a novel, ''Let the Light In'', with her son, Louis Hill. The dual narrative story is about a grieving family struggling in different ways to overcome their difficulties. In an interview for Just Imagine, Downham and Louis talked about how the novel was conceived and grew during the pandemic lockdown.

References

External links

Official Website

Works by or about Jenny Downham in libraries
(Worldcat catalogue)
Guardian Review

The Times Feature

* 1964 births Living people British women novelists 21st-century British novelists British writers of young adult literature 21st-century British women writers British women writers of young adult literature {{UK-novelist-stub