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| photo: Stephanie Craig | |
On your nightstand now:
The beautiful Picador U.K. edition of Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life, which was a gift from Ravi Mirchandani, my publisher in London. I only have 70 pages left, and I'm reading them slowly--sometimes only two or three pages at a time--because I don't want to let these people go. (And notice that I called them "people" instead of "characters." There really is a difference.)
Favorite book when you were a child:
The librarian at my primary school encouraged me to read Little Women when I was 10 or 11. As soon as she pulled the book off the shelf, I remember thinking it was huge and I'd never finish it, but I checked it out because I didn't want to disappoint her. You have to hand it to librarians--many of them just have this sixth sense about what people will like. I did my first all-nighter reading under the covers with a flashlight because I was so desperate to find out what happened to Laurie and Jo.
Your top five authors:
I think my answer changes every time someone asks me this question. Today, it's J.M. Coetzee, A.M. Homes, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chang-Rae Lee and Richard Yates.
Book you've faked reading:
Infinite Jest. I've tackled the first 50 or 60 pages or so, but I could never fully commit to the rest. My husband still gives me a lot of grief about this.
Book you're an evangelist for:
I don't think Matthew Salesses needs an evangelist for The Hundred Year Flood, but I can't and won't shut up about his book, which is just stunning. I tend to write and read very slowly, so when I inhale a novel in a few sittings as I did with this one, it's really something special.
Book you've bought for the cover:
I picked up Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty, because of the photograph of eggplants on the cover--four of them in a row, all perfectly roasted and covered with yogurt and herbs. I decided that any book that could make me want to cook eggplants was worth having in our kitchen.
Book that changed your life:
I could probably name at least one book for every decade of my life. In my 20s, it was The Peaceable Kingdom by Francine Prose. I was working at the New York Public Library back then, and Francine was in one of several writers in residence at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. We never spoke once while she was there, but I remember being completely fascinated by her whenever we crossed paths. It was so foreign to me, the idea that someone could make a living by writing beautiful books. I really loved the possibility of that.
Favorite line from a book:
The last line (well, last two lines) of William Styron's Sophie's Choice just destroy me every time: "This was not judgment day--only morning. Morning: excellent and fair."
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I thought the opening of Zadie Smith's White Teeth was electric. It made me feel like I was in such capable narrative hands, and I was about to experience something new as a reader. I'm always on the lookout for books that can make me sit up and take notice like that.
How happy are you that you finished?
The word "happy" doesn't quite do justice to how I feel these days. Publishing a debut novel, especially with the team from Picador, is an incredibly exciting experience. And it's also exciting to be able to work on something new for the first time in years. People often ask if I wish it was March 2016 (my publication date) already, and I always say "no." I have no desire to rush this stage or any other. I'm genuinely having a good time right now.
What are your writing habits?
I write in the morning, so I'm usually up between 4:30 and 5:00. I make a pot of coffee and do the New York Times mini-crossword to clear the cobwebs, and I'm usually at my desk by no later than 5:15. If I'm drafting, I try to write a minimum of 500 new words a day. (If I'm editing, I'm lucky to net 50 new words.) Usually, I have about three hours of writing time before I have to throw myself into the shower and get ready for work. I've been known to arrive at the office in January with dripping wet hair because I really wanted to get one last sentence down.