DIANE CHAMBERLAIN
The best-selling US author’s new book moves between 1965, during America’s fight for civil rights, and the present day
How has your life experience informed the writing of The Last House on the Street?
I grew up in the northeastern United States during the civil rights movement in a town that was half Black and half white. The injustices faced by my fellow students influenced my eventual work as a social worker, as well as the writing of The Last House on the Street.
Has writing a novel become easier 28 books on?
Not at all! It’s a fresh challenge every time.
Is there a book that made you love writing?
Yes, my third novel, the long-ago Secret Lives. I found my stride in that book and truly fell in love with writing.
What’s the best book you’ve read? Charlotte’s Web by EB White. My first grade teacher read it to us and when I realised a person could create a story that made people feel, I knew I wanted to be a writer.
A book that had a pivotal impact on your life?
Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides. I read it long ago when I worked as a psychotherapist and was writing my first novel. Its psychological themes and brilliant writing had a strong influence on me. What is a book you wish
you had read but haven’t got to reading yet?
The Marriage of Opposites. I’m a big Alice Hoffman fan but have somehow never picked up that particular book.
The book you are most proud to have written?
The Last House on the Street. Although I think it’s a very engaging story, it’s also a serious story about a sad time in American history. Unfortunately, we seem to be fighting the same battle all over again in 2022.
What book do you re-read?
I re-read The White Hotel (1981) by DM Thomas about every 10 years to see if it still impacts me the same way as it did the first time. It’s the most exquisitely painful novel I’ve ever read and yet it’s mesmerising.
What books are on your bedside table?
Other Women by Cathy Kelly, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and for fun, The Storyteller by Dave Grohl.
What are you writing now? I’m still playing with ideas. I know the main thread of the story but have to flesh it out. I can’t wait until the magic begins to happen!