In life, the classroom is everywhere. The exam comes at the very end.

Barack Obama presents as kind of a cool character, and I think that that's his natural personality.

I don't do research for my novels. Obviously, in my other line of work as a reporter and a columnist, I've had the opportunity to get to know both social workers and TV talk-show hosts.

I can't think of anything to write about except families. They are a metaphor for every other part of society.

I do tend to be almost kind of Pollyanna-ish person.

I'm boggled by the idea of being an only child. I know nothing at all (I'm happy to say) about having had a cold and withholding mother, about being divorced. The more I've been writing novels, each novel I've written has become successively less grounded in anything approaching autobiography.

I do think there's some aspect of being a novelist that is a little crazy making.