‘My generation are reinventing old age’

Author of the book that inspired The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Deborah Moggach is back with her new novel, The Carer. She talks to Anna Bonet about writing, reading and ageing

What inspired you to write The Carer? My mother had dementia for two years before she died, which involved three round-the-clock carers. I was fascinated by the intimate relationship between these people and your nearest and dearest, and it seemed like the perfect subject for an exploration of guilt, resentment, gratitude and class.

Why did you feel that now was the right time for this story? I’m a patron of Dignity In Dying, because I believe in having control over death and the way you want to go. Recently, there has been an increasing number of cases in the news about people who feel their lives are being prolonged, so I thought it was very timely.

How do you feel about ageing? I think The

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was such a success because it was about how we’re no different as we age; we have the same loves and resentments, fears and joys, but we’re a bit more wrinkly. My generation are reinventing old age. I went online, found this bloke, got married at 65 – and that’s not unusual!

How was the process of writing The Carer? I wrote it quickly over a period of about four months. It was familiar territory to me: it’s middle class, it’s about an old person and it’s set in places that I know, so I didn’t have to do much research. I cantered through it in high spirits because, although it tackles something dark and important, I had rather good fun with it. Do you have a writing routine? I write in the mornings, never in the afternoons. In the afternoons, I go shopping or take the dog out. I work in a chaotic study with papers all over the floor, but I know where everything is. I try to work for three-and-a-half hours and sometimes I’ll have hardly written anything in that time, but it mounts up if you do it daily. I’m rigorous in doing it every day. Both my parents were writers and they were disciplined and never made a fuss about it, so they were a good example for me.

What do you think makes a good beach read? Something you can’t put down. I’m reading Nick Hornby’s How To Be Good. It’s just so readable, you can hardly stop. I think a ‘beach read’ makes it sound rather shallow, but I wouldn’t separate it from a wonderful novel. In fact, I would say a beach read is a novel that you actually have time to read at last.

Do you read your reviews? Oh yes! Sometimes I agree with them, even if they’re not very good. Other times, I get cross. Don’t believe any author who tells you that they don’t read reviews. I bet they do – it’s human instinct – they just don’t like to admit it.

What’s next for you? I’m turning The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel into a play for the Chichester Festival Theatre. I’m going to have a rickshaw on the stage. It’s going to be so much fun to do! The Carer (Headline, £16.99) by Deborah Moggach is out 11th July