My Latest Grievance began in my mind with one question, one "what-if…?" and that was, "What if a child didn't find out until she was a teenager that her father had been married before?"  The small details arrived fully formed, as givens: that the parents would be college professors and would be activists to a degree that I could have fun with; that Frederica would be an only child, and that the first wife would be alive and kicking.  What I didn't know at first was that the Hatch family would live on campus as house parents and that Frederica would be raised in a dormitory.  That (rather major) part came after I had written 35 pages, had originally given the Hatches a house off-campus across the street from best friend Patsy Leonard.  But as I was writing about Laura Lee's arrival at Dewing, I was  having trouble with a first-person narrator, Frederica, who wasn't on the scene to report on Laura Lee's shenanigans.  It now seems so obvious that the up-close-and-personal was essential, but it took a few chapters before I realized that and wrote the words that would open the book, "I was raised in a brick dormitory at Dewing College…."

All the complications and emotional havoc (better not say what at this juncture) unfolded as the characters developed, sometimes surprising me, and challenging my nerve as they took a turn for the outrageous.  As often happens as I write, some characters--Aviva in particular--wasn't conceived as a sympathetic character, but completely won me over. One thing I was sure of was that the final chapter (no spoiler alert needed) would be an epilogue, that readers needed to know how life turned out for the Hatches, for Dewing College and for Laura Lee.    

‘A jewel…brings together the rare combination of intelligence, wit and wisdom’
Carol Sheilds

‘Hilarious… uttely addictive. Imagine, if you can, a cross between
Philip Roth and Melissa Bank’
Maggie o’Farrell

Visit her website at www.elinorlipman.com

Ask Elinor a question – email readingcircle@headline.co.uk