TRUE CHARACTERS: Seeing five-star reviews for the film 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' is . . . a source of enormous pleasure, obviously. But the best thing about this film, from my point of view, is that I can enjoy its success without experiencing any of the anxiety, as I had no official role in its production. I just sold the options to my novel, had a few discussions with the team, then sat back and watched it unfold.
I had previously sold options to some of my other novels, but no film ever came to light. I honestly never expected anything to come of Kevin, so its success is doubly sweet.
I'm a little embarrassed . . .about the ubiquity of headlines starting with the words: We need to talk about . . . Don't get me wrong, no one was more delighted than me by the success of my novel Kevin, but the title has become a cliche. I wish the headline writers would move on – We need to talk about something else.
The person I most admire is . . .Edith Wharton. Her novel The Age of Innocence is the best book I've read. She was a great writer in an era when all the great writers were men. She lived her life entirely on her own terms, which can't have been easy for a woman at that time. As I get older – I'm 54 now – I find myself admiring people who accomplish things on their own terms, rather than those who are popularly hailed as being virtuous or inspiring.
If I wasn't a writer I would be . . .a figure sculptor. For many years, my love of art was neck-and-neck with my passion for writing. When I was growing up in North Carolina, I wanted to illustrate my own books. Later, I got into sculpting and metal-smithing, but I have let that side of me atrophy in recent years, which I regret.
I would love to take a few years out to get back in touch with it. HarperCollins might have something to say about it, though.
A perfect evening is . . .a decent Cabernet, for no more than £6, Newsnight and a big bowl of popcorn. I don't like eating out as I'm fussy about my food. I like extremely spicy food and I find that even Indian restaurants in London don't make curries hot enough for me.
My husband, the jazz drummer Jeff Williams, calls my cooking “walk around hot” as he has to pace about after one of my meals. I also like my meat very rare and my fish swimming across the plate.
I like living in London but . . .I had a more intimate relationship with Belfast, where I lived for 12 years. Belfast has a highly verbal culture, people love talking and there's a wit and a warmth about them.
I did a lot of journalism while I was there, and I grew up, intellectually and politically. Plus, I have a rather perverse affection for a little bit of aggro.
My favourite film is . . .The Hustler. I go to the cinema quite regularly, but TV has become the better medium for drama. The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad – there's so much more scope for characterisation. A feature film is just too short to really get into the subtleties of good drama. I would love to sell one of my novels for TV. If the right people are reading, The Post-Birthday World would make a fabulous mini-series.
We Need To Talk About Kevinis in cinemas now.
In conversation with Una Bradley
