Cherie Jones ‘I found my tribe on the pages of John Wyndham’s Chrysalids’
over 4 years in The guardian
The Women’s prize nominee on the brilliance of Earl Lovelace, the influence of Toni Morrison, and laughing out loud at Nora Ephron’s chutzpah
The book that changed my lifeThe Wine of Astonishment by Earl Lovelace. I never looked at a villain in a book or in real life quite the same after encountering his character Bolo. That book was the beginning of my understanding of the “how” behind the people we see and regard as “bad”. I learned a lot about the complexity of people, and therefore of characterisation, in writing. Lovelace is a master of his craft, I’ve probably read everything at least once that he’s written.
The book I wish I’d writtenImportant Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton. I discovered this book during my MA writing programme at Sheffield Hallam University in 2013 and have been in love with it ever since. I’ve always been fascinated by stories in which you learn as much, or more, from what remains unsaid on the page. As an amateur photographer I’m also fascinated by the form of the book and how much of the narrative is relayed through the photos that appear in the fictional auction catalogue. Continue reading...
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