Bernardine Evaristo
As her latest book hits the shelves, the Girl, Woman, Other author shares the books that have shaped her
MY FAVOURITE BOOK AS A CHILD WAS…
Ballet Shoes, the classic children’s novel by Noel Streatfeild, which I read when I was about nine.
Perhaps it sowed the seeds for me joining my local youth theatre at 12.
THE ONE BOOK I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ IS…
So many great books out there, but I rate The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett exceedingly highly. It explores race through two very light-skinned Black twin sisters, one of whom chooses to pass as white. It’s beautiful, gripping and deep.
MY FAVOURITE LINE FROM A BOOK IS…
This one from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: ‘Nuns go by quiet as lust, and drunken men with sober eyes sing in the lobby of the Greek hotel.’
It’s so intriguing the reader has to read on.
MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER FROM A BOOK IS…
Too many to choose only one, but I’ll pick Bjartur, the protagonist of Independent People (1934) by Halldór Laxness. A curmudgeon, he is his own worst enemy and such an unforgettable character.
THE CHARACTER FROM A BOOK I RELATE TO MOST IS…
I hate to say it, but it’s Amma in my novel Girl, Woman, Other, who, funnily enough, is based on my younger self, so no surprises there.
THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY WAS…
Small: On Motherhoods by Claire Lynch, a memoir about the struggle to conceive children with her wife. It’s movingly written, with a dry humour running throughout. Some people might think this isn’t for them, but trust me.
THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE ME LAUGH WAS…
Because Of You by Dawn French, who tackles the very serious issue of a stolen child, but one of the main characters is absolutely hysterical and totally unaware of his arrogance and narcissism.
THE BOOK THAT GOT ME THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME WAS…
I used to read lots of self-help books and one of the greatest was Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. Her thesis is in the title and she then proceeds to guide you through working out the reasons why you stop yourself progressing in your life, and strategies to overcome your fears.
MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOK IS…
There isn’t a single book, but a poetry collection I’ve loved for decades is Midsummer (1984) by Derek Walcott, who takes us on journeys into history, art, relationships, the Caribbean, colonialism – and himself. Amazing imagery and sublime poetry.