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.

I never wanted to be mainstream as a writer, but look at what's happened.

One of the reasons I write is I like being surprised

Description is hard. Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand.

Try to be accurate about stuff.

I'm starting to think my narrators' sentences are getting too big for them, and they are getting to sound a bit samey and, more disturbingly, a bit too much like me.

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