Pride Month Author Interview: A Conversation With Nicola Dinan
Nicola Dinan
This interview was a contribution by Megan Tripp, Associate Director of Social Media, Consumer Marketing. She can be found in her book-filled Manhattan apartment, usually reading books about gay rights and gay wrongs, or on Instagram at @booksnblazers.
Nicola Dinan grew up in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and now lives in London. BELLIES, her debut, won the Polari First Book Prize, was shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards and Mo Siewcharran Prize, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize. Her latest novel, DISSAPOINT ME, was recently published by The Dial Press.
Q: How do you approach writing a new novel? Do the characters come to you first, or does the plot? Or, does a spark of inspiration hit you that urges you to explore something through your writing?
A: When I finish a novel, I always feel like I will never, ever, have another complete idea again. Ever. I know what interests me, what I’m observing, but I can’t really imagine how to synthesise it into a novel. All those little elements percolate for a while, and it seems like out of nowhere a spark will come and fuse it all together. It is, I will admit, an extremely slow process. We’re talking one idea every couple of years. It’s why I don’t write a lot of short stories! A collection would take me decades.
Q: What feeling did you hope to evoke in readers of DISAPPOINT ME?
A: Disappointment, obviously! In Vincent, for one, but in Max, Simone and the others, too. These are seriously flawed characters who often act in ways we hope we wouldn’t. But I also think that it’s these flaws which make the reader feel seen and understood. I hope that leads to some reflection and even humility regarding our personal histories and relationships with others.
Amy Robsart by William Frederick Yeams (1877)
Q: Tell us about the cover image. It’s such an iconic piece of art. How does it relate to the story and what was the process like to bring that art to the cover, and the cover to life?
A: Put this cover in the Met! When I was asked by my editor, Katy, about what I’d like for the cover, I gave the simple brief of a painting of a tired woman. My email attached a photo of Amy Robsart by William Frederick Yeams (1877) as inspiration. In the painting, Robsart has fallen down the stairs, much like Max at the start of the novel (although unlike Robsart, Max survives the tumble).
Decadent Young Woman After the Dance by Ramon Casas (1899)
The painting on the cover we ended up with is Decadent Young Woman After the Dance by Ramon Casas (1899), which is a much better fit! Max is certainly a decadent young woman (after the dance or not), and much like Madeleine Boisguillaume (the woman in the painting), Max is physically and spiritually exhausted. The colour and boldness of the typeface are beautiful, and I couldn’t have imagined something better. Everyone I show it to is gagged.
Q: If you could describe DISAPPOINT ME using only songs, which songs would you choose and why?
A: I created a Disappoint Me playlist which you can listen to here. After I made it, Lorde released What Was That, and if I had to pick one song to represent the book, I think I’d pick that. There’s a scene at towards the end of Disappoint Me where everything goes wrong, and it really evokes the same feeling of ‘How did we get here? How do I move on?’ At the same time, if I had to pick a song for my first book, Bellies, I’d pick that, too. Maybe I just like the song.
Q: What books have made you feel grounded recently?
A: I’m currently reading WELLNESS by Nathan Hill. There’s something really comforting about reading a very long book. The steady relationships I build with the characters, the weeks I spend thinking about them as their story unfolds. Before that, I read WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel, and I’ve been thinking about Anne Boleyn on a near-daily basis (I’m unsure whether this is a positive development).
Door-stopper novels have helped a lot with my writing, too. I’m working on a fourth novel while I edit my third, and I think it’s going to be a whopper. My first three novels are quite short, and so my reading is building my confidence in taking on the challenge.
Q: What book do you think everyone should read?
A: ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin. Everyone. Everywhere.
Q: What are some of your favorite recent reads that you would like to recommend to Penguin Random House employees?
A: THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. THE WAITING YEARS by Fumiko Enchi.
Q: Lastly, what does Pride mean to you? How are you exploring it/honoring it/celebrating it this year amidst everything going on in the world?
A: I’m really heartened that most Pride events in the UK have banned political parties in response to their stance on trans rights. It reminds me that Pride is an opportunity to gather and set political goals, to set the tone for the year ahead as we manoeuvre and act outside of online spaces. I feel very scared about the future, and the attack on human dignity I’ve seen in various parts of the world gives me little reason for complacency.