One of the reasons I write is I like being surprised

I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. The Gathering did hang over me in that it was darker than I thought at the time.

It is very hard to trace the effect of words on a life.

There are about as many ways to be dead as there are to be alive. People linger in different ways, both publicly and privately.

To be able to have the space to sit down and write has always been my central policy.

When you find yourself alone, or in a transition, you dream more. These are also the times when you read books.

Having kids is very difficult to do on your own, and it's really crazy difficult to think you're doing it as a team and to find out that you're not actually part of a team.