A new car is not going to change your life.

I always try to create conflict and drama in my books; it's the engine of the novel.

I guess there's a sort of cycle with writing books. There's all the researching and then the imagining and writing - which is the real job - and then there's always a period when the book comes out and you have to lift your head and venture out.

If the culture is so all pervasive that you can’t think outside of it, how are you making genuine choices?

Some writers are more natural public performers than others; personally I find it quite strange giving interviews. But everyone has parts of their job that they like more than others. You can't complain if you get to do what you love doing most of the time, can you?

I rarely get a moment to myself, but I love the way that my agenda is dictated by the children, not my work.

I started writing 'Brick Lane' when my children were two years and five months old. We were on holiday in the north of England when I was overtaken by a compulsion to start writing.