We are so thrilled to chat with Grant Jarrett, author of Ways of Leaving and The House that Made Me. Here, Grant shares a few facts about himself and the five books that have inspired his writing most!
Padgett Powell’s Cries for Help, Various, and an empty space where Jonathan Franzen’s deeply disappointing Purity was before I heaved it across the room. I should say that I thought The Corrections was fantastic, funny, and “true,” which makes Purity’s failure all the more disappointing.
There are just so many to choose from, and I don’t want to leave anything out, but I guess if I had to choose, I’d say failing to fully concentrate and lock in my focu … I’m sorry. What was the question?
I do almost all of my writing at my desk in my living room, but there is something transcendent about those occasional sparks of inspiration that materialize when I’m on my bike or falling asleep, which I also do at my desk and try not to do on my bike.
Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
“Cormac McCarthy’s Suttree is beautifully written, eloquent, dark as Tennessee mud at midnight, and overflowing with the rich substance of life. Read a gorgeous sentence or two of Suttree and you’re likely to find you can’t turn away. Just thinking about this book, with its superabundance of heart and humor, makes me yearn to read it again. And I will.”
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
“Richard Yates’s stunning and troubling masterpiece, Revolutionary Road, has burned its indelible brand on my consciousness. The dysfunction, the insanity, the humor amidst the turmoil, and the characters’ ‘insights’ make this book unforgettable and true in the way that only great fiction can be true.”
The Stories (so far) of Deborah Eisenberg by Deborah Eisenberg
“The stories in Deborah Eisenberg’s wonderful collection, The Stories (so far) of Deborah Eisenberg, make me feel urgent and alive, but more than that, they make me want to write. Her dialogue sparkles and delights, and every so often you find yourself an unwitting passenger on one of those tense, agitated paragraphs that keep accelerating around switchbacks, creating the sensation they’re about to jump the track and tug you along for the inevitable catastrophe, though somehow, after the danger has passed and you’ve regained your bearings, you realize you’re still traveling in the same direction, albeit somewhat agitated and with a slightly altered perspective.”
Keep the Change by Thomas McGuane
“Thomas McGuane has consistently demonstrated that combining humor and pathos is not only possible, but, when executed with artistry, impactful and compelling. Keep the Change, just one of many examples of this author’s virtuosity, is the story of a man at a crossroads, a man whose dubious instincts and social ineptitude sabotage his good intentions, often with hilarious results. With searing wit, unwavering candor, and 190-proof dialogue, this chronicle of a life in disarray is captivating and illuminating.”
Winter of our Discontent by John Steinbeck
“I’ve read Steinbeck’s Winter of our Discontent several times, and every time I read those heart-seizing final pages, where Ethan, on the verge of suicide, chooses to live, I weep. As I write this, it occurs to me that perhaps that scene was calling out from my subconscious as I wrote the final chapter of Ways. (But don’t blame Steinbeck.)”
What are the five books that inspire you most? Tell us below!
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