The only way to write a book, I’m fond of telling people, is to actually write a book. That’s how you write a book.

Writing is not my problem, it is my solution.

People whose lives are upside down often read fiction. When you're not sure where you'll end up or how you are going to be, and you're looking for some way forward, fiction is a great friend.

I do wish I could write like some of the American women, who can be clever and heartfelt and hopeful; people like Lorrie Moore and Jennifer Egan. But Ireland messed me up too much, I think, so I can't.

A drinker does not exist. Whatever they say, it is just the drink talking.

I became a full-time writer in 1993 and have been very happy, insofar as anybody is, since.

The only way to write a book, I’m fond of telling people, is to actually write a book. That’s how you write a book.