Sometimes we don't notice that someone is being brave, because they are only doing something that seems quite easy for us.

I'm always determined that as a novelist I'm going to go out there and research my characters very thoroughly before I start writing.

There's what people say, and there's what people mean, and I like to explore the difference between the two.

It is easier for a rich person to act on their principles than it is for someone with fewer choices (which is why it is all the more disappointing when a wealthy person plays to the crowd).

At this point in time the war [ WWII] is close enough to still feel hotly personal to a writer, yet far enough away so that jingoism and heroics are no longer required.

We don't know our hearts until life puts us to the test, and WWII fascinates because it was the last time everyone was simultaneously pushed to their limit.

I think bravery means a different thing to everyone.