Sophie Dahl
The model-turned-author and former Red cover star on the reads that shaped her
MY FAVOURITE BOOK IS…
Philip Pullman takes my breath away; the wisdom about the human condition that springs from his books never fails to move me. The relationship between human and daemon, and his compassion towards us muddled humans; I feel like there should be a copy of The Amber Spyglass in every hotel in the world. I also have a huge nostalgic fondness for The Pursuit Of Love by Nancy Mitford, and her wonderful protagonist Linda as a heroine. It totally ticks all of my hopeless romantic teenage boxes.
MY FAVOURITE LITERARY CHARACTER IS...
Ronia from Ronia The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. She’s fierce, independent, vulnerable, brave and loyal. See also Lyra Belacqua from Pullman’s Northern Lights trilogy. My husband and I loved her so much we named our eldest daughter after her.
THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY WAS...
Claire Dederer’s Love And Trouble. It’s so insightful about womanhood, sexuality and marriage. It’s also a book about coming of age in a pre #metoo era and how, as a young woman, Dederer was shaped by that and the responses of adults around her. There’s so much in this book that’s important: conversations around sex and consent and an adolescent’s right to explore their sexuality and potency without adults thinking it’s an invitation. I’m so glad that this stuff is now under the microscope and that we’re having the conversation.
THE BOOK I RELATE TO THE MOST IS...
Esther Freud’s books about childhood and adolescence; in particular, Hideous Kinky and Peerless Flats. My siblings and I grew up all over the place in a very different time to now. As an adult, I relate to Mary Carr – that idea of growing up in a messy family where tall stories are currency and using words is a way of making sense of the muddle around you. I’m obsessed with language, and since I was a little kid, books have been a refuge for me. I spent a lot of time reading in the airing cupboard!
MY FAVOURITE LINE FROM A BOOK IS...
‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there,’ from The Go-between by LP Hartley. I believe as humans we are so shaped by the past and its imprint. The book is a comingof-age story and shows grown-up events through a child’s eyes. My new book, Madame Badobedah, is about this same thing: a complex grown-up seen through the eyes of a child.
THE BOOK THAT GOT ME THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME WAS...
Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart has really helped me at challenging times. She’s a funny, wise Buddhist monk with a great sense of humour. There’s some wonderful practical life advice in there about sitting with ugly or painful feelings rather than running from them, and she is not at all preachy.
WHAT IS THE ONE BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ?
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is a novel about the refugee crisis and globalisation. First and foremost, though, it’s a brilliant love story peppered with magical realism. You get such a sense of the injustice of the geographic lottery. This book is timely and beautifully written. Madame Badobedah (Walker Books) by Sophie Dahl and illustrated by Lauren O’hara is out 3rd October