Where did this book begin?
“I had been working on a book for a long time that wasn't working. I liked it, I liked the characters, but I couldn't figure out what was going on. As soon as I decided to throw it away, I started Whistler. This second book just flew. My friend Liz Gilbert says, ‘runway is runway,’ and it doesn’t matter if you put your warm-up time into a different project. I choose to believe this is true.”
Which part of writing this story surprised you the most?
“The thing that surprises me most is that I wrote it at all! I can so easily picture a world in which I'm still sitting at my desk, trying to figure out a book that isn't working. I'm thrilled that it came together.”
What do you hope lingers with the reader after the final page?
“There is tremendous love and kindness in the world. There's a lot of pain and suffering and still, there is kindness.”
What book feels like home to you?
“Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town.”
Which living author do you most admire?
“Margaret Atwood. I loved her giant memoir.”
What moment in your life felt straight out of a novel?
“A couple of close calls in small planes when my husband was flying.”
Who are your favourite writers?
“Colson Whitehead, Louise Erdrich, and Elizabeth Strout.”
What book title best describes your life?
“Lucky.”
How do you make time to read?
“That's sort of like asking, ‘How do you make time to breathe?’ This is who I am. I'm a reader, first and foremost.”
What tricks or hacks do you have to read more and scroll less?
“I don't have a phone! Or, I have a flip phone that lives in my sock drawer. I'll bring it with me if I'm on a long trip so I can call my husband. No one has the number. I've never texted. I'm not on any social media (though my bookstore is). I have no hacks. I simply have no interest. Smartphones seem like the worst idea in the world. I didn't give it up. I never started in the first place.”
When you find yourself needing to unplug, what are your favourite activities to engage in?
“I like to read, pet the dogs, make dinner, write letters, exercise, see friends, and write novels.”
New! From Ann Patchett
Whistler: A Novel
Indigo’s Best Book of the Year (So Far) is a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.
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