Ask the Author: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Answered Questions (35)
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Martha,
Thanks so much for reading Good Company! I didn't write a specific scene with Flora about her finding out that Margot knew about Julian's affair and the ring. Like lots of writers (and movie makers!) I wrote a scene for the READER to find out that secret and then that information gets carried forward in the head of the reader when they realize Flora also knows. Sometimes it's more effective to let the reader fill in blanks in parts than a literal linear rendering of how information is exchanged, which can get redundant. We know Flora knows because she refuses to take Margot's calls.. Thanks again for reading and discussing and I'm happy to answer any other questions.
Thanks so much for reading Good Company! I didn't write a specific scene with Flora about her finding out that Margot knew about Julian's affair and the ring. Like lots of writers (and movie makers!) I wrote a scene for the READER to find out that secret and then that information gets carried forward in the head of the reader when they realize Flora also knows. Sometimes it's more effective to let the reader fill in blanks in parts than a literal linear rendering of how information is exchanged, which can get redundant. We know Flora knows because she refuses to take Margot's calls.. Thanks again for reading and discussing and I'm happy to answer any other questions.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Yes! My new novel which takes place in Rochester, NY, in the late 70s and is about two families who live on the same street and their intersecting lives is underway and scheduled for mid-2025. If you are on instagram you can find me there as CynthiaDSweeney and get regular updates. Thanks for asking!
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
I have always worked as a writer, my entire adult life. So I’ve always known that I was a writer. I started writing fiction later in my life and when I finished my first novel-The Nest—then I could say I was a novelist and that was a thrill. It was the finishing of the book that made me a writer—not the success that followed, that just made me lucky!
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Matt! I LOVED The Perfect Stranger. Have you read Henry James The Turn of the Screw? It’s really a novella, a quick read and so great. Anything by Shirley Jackson. If you’ve seen the movie but never read the book, The Shining is one of the scariest novels I’ve read. And our selection November, Leave the World Behind is also very unsettling, a total page-turner and beautifully written. xo
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Hannah,
I'm not sure if you're reading the hardcover or soft cover so I can't give you a page number, but it's a couple of pages into Chapter 28. Good luck! Thanks for reading.
Cynthia
I'm not sure if you're reading the hardcover or soft cover so I can't give you a page number, but it's a couple of pages into Chapter 28. Good luck! Thanks for reading.
Cynthia
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Diana,
Yes! I am writing the final pages of my new book right now. It's called GOOD COMPANY and will be out next May. I hope you like it, and thanks for the kind words.
Yes! I am writing the final pages of my new book right now. It's called GOOD COMPANY and will be out next May. I hope you like it, and thanks for the kind words.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Jane,
I haven't been through the scenario in my book, although I have many friends who have and some of their experiences inspired me. While on book tour, I had many, many people come up to me and talk about their experiences with executorships and also just the arguments after a parent dies. It's a traumatic time! I'm glad you related to the book (but not glad for your dramas!) and thanks for your kind words.
I haven't been through the scenario in my book, although I have many friends who have and some of their experiences inspired me. While on book tour, I had many, many people come up to me and talk about their experiences with executorships and also just the arguments after a parent dies. It's a traumatic time! I'm glad you related to the book (but not glad for your dramas!) and thanks for your kind words.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Peg,
No the sculpture in my book is one I invented but you're right, there were pieces of Rodin's sculptures found at Ground Zero. The founder of Cantor Fitzgerald was an avid Rodin collector and had many in the office lobby. One cast in particular of Rodin's The Thinker was found at Ground Zero but went missing. There's a photo of the damaged statue with a firefighter but then it disappeared and, as far as I know, has never been found. Thanks for the question. Cynthia
No the sculpture in my book is one I invented but you're right, there were pieces of Rodin's sculptures found at Ground Zero. The founder of Cantor Fitzgerald was an avid Rodin collector and had many in the office lobby. One cast in particular of Rodin's The Thinker was found at Ground Zero but went missing. There's a photo of the damaged statue with a firefighter but then it disappeared and, as far as I know, has never been found. Thanks for the question. Cynthia
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Thank you so much, Elyse. No it wasn't based on any real life story I knew but rather the many people I knew in New York City who had some kind of family money which was a thing I'd never encountered until moving to New York.
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reading!
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
So happy you asked, Goodreads. Hands down: Evan S. Connell's Mr. and Mrs. Bridge. I favor the Mrs, but they're both great characters.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Julia. Sorry for the delay! The list of things that influenced me is very, very long and some of it would only make sense to me. I read a lot of family novels written in multiple points of view, like The Corrections, Remember Me Like This and The Middlesteins to see how those authors moved the plot along while using different voices. When first conceiving the book, I was influenced by one of my favorite short stories by Deborah Eisenberg, "Some Other, Better Otto." And I read a lot of non-fiction for research, a book of essays written by gay men who lived near Christopher in the 80s, books on amputation, Michael Lewis's The Big Short about mortgage-backed securities, American Ground by William Langewiesche about the clean-up and the World Trade Center site--to name a few. I also watched documentaries on some of those subjects. Hope this answers your questions and thanks for asking.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Thank you, Avi. I'm glad you liked the book. It took me a little over two years to write the book. As for critiques and criticism, it's very easy: I don't read them. I don't read reviews (I've made a couple of exceptions when my husband or editor or agent pass one along that they think says something new and interesting) and I've never read online comments about the book here on Goodreads or Amazon or anywhere else. I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to post a comment, good or bad, and for the vibrant reading community here, but those are exchanges between readers/reviewers and potential readers of the book and I don't really have a place in that conversation. I love this Q&A feature because everyone who has come here to ask a question has been lovely and respectful. I critique myself pretty stringently, I don't need to add other voices to the harsh editor in my own head! Most writers I know, by the way, have similar policies: never read the comments!
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Thank you, Becky. I don't like talking about things that are in the early stages because I'm not even sure what's happening. But I am trying to work on something new. Thanks for reading.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
You can read all about the book here:
https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...
https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Thank you, Kallisto. If this Goodreads author interview, I talk about how I came up with the idea for the book. https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/...
I am not planning on writing about this family anymore, but I'm glad you liked it and thanks for checking in.
I am not planning on writing about this family anymore, but I'm glad you liked it and thanks for checking in.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Nathaniel,
I love so many writers that it's hard to choose, but I am always happy to see books by Tessa Hadley, Alice McDermott, Elizabeth Strout, Ian McEwan, Jeffery Eugenides, Junot Diaz. I loved the Elena Ferrante books. Jami Attenberg has a new book coming out soon called ALL GROWN UP and it's really great, as is her book THE MIDDLESTEINS.
I love so many writers that it's hard to choose, but I am always happy to see books by Tessa Hadley, Alice McDermott, Elizabeth Strout, Ian McEwan, Jeffery Eugenides, Junot Diaz. I loved the Elena Ferrante books. Jami Attenberg has a new book coming out soon called ALL GROWN UP and it's really great, as is her book THE MIDDLESTEINS.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Thank you, Samantha! I did not know that about the question mark. How funny.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
You can use anything you'd like. Many writers use paper and pen. Good luck!
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
I think the life of a writer is always questioning whether you're working hard enough or pushing yourself enough because it is a very solitary job. But I try not to indulge in that kind of thinking ("If I just worked harder, I'd get...) and focus on the work and derive my pleasure from a good day's work, which ultimately is the only thing I have control over.
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Hi, Karen. I've always been fascinated by adult sibling relationships. I grew up in a very Irish-Italian Catholic community and so I was surrounded by people who had 6 or 7 or 10 (!) kids in their families. I'm the oldest of 4 and I thought our family was small. As soon as I started writing fiction, I knew I wanted to write about adult siblings because those relationships are so interesting and complicated, especially as everyone gets older -- that's the tiny seed of interest that became The Nest. Once I knew I was writing about siblings who were not getting along, I needed to figure out why and money was the obvious answer! It's more universal than I ever realized while I was writing the book. I hear a lot of stories now about family arguments over money.
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