The ones that were relevant while I wrote my book were books like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, which is based on a historical fact, "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow, and "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey.

A name is precious; it carries inside it a language, a history, a set of traditions, a particular way of looking at the world. Losing it meant losing my ties to all those things too.

There is a insularity within American fiction even for adults. It's very tough for books in translation in the US.

In some ways, I think it's the closest that we come to the truth — is in the form of fiction.

I began reading in French. I didn't read in English until high school.

Thing that was very different for me is that an American child's reading is filled with Americans.

The ones that were relevant while I wrote my book were books like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, which is based on a historical fact, "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow, and "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey.