Christine Leunens was born in Hartford, Connecticut to an Italian mother and a Belgian father. She went on to earn a Master of Liberal Arts in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University in 2005, and a PhD at Victoria University of Wellington in 2012.

Her debut novel, Primordial Soup, published in the UK in 1999, was a critical success, receiving praise in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent, and Publishers Weekly.

Since its first publication in 2004, Caging Skies has become an international bestseller, translated into over twenty languages. Taika Waititi’s film adaptation, Jojo Rabbit, won the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, was nominated in 2020 for two Golden Globes, six BAFTAS, and six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Christine currently lives with her family in New Zealand. Her new novel, In Amber's Wake, is being made into a film by Mimi Polk Gitlin, the producer of Academy Award-winning film Thelma & Louise.

Verb Festival 2022 Appearances:
The Radical Possibility of Pacing, Sat 5 Nov, 6pm (LitCrawl).
Fact and Fiction: Christine Leunens, Sun 6 Nov, 4pm.