It’s a lofty project for a debut writer, but Grattan pulls it off seamlessly.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?
THOMAS GRATTAN:When I was young, I was obsessed with horses.
Credit: David Horne, FSG
The first thing I remember writing is one of several horse-related stories I was really into creating back then.
It might have been about a horse giving birth on Christmas Eve.
I was maybe 8 when I wrote it.
What is the last book that made you cry?
I recently read Bryan Washington’s novelMemorial.
It made me tear up several times.
I also just reread Edmund White’sThe Beautiful Room Is Empty.
Which book is at the top of your current to-read list?
There are so many books on my list.
Where do you write?
When I was writingThe Recent East,I had a notebook in my bag wherever I went.
Which book made you a forever reader?
There are some really sexy moments in it, too.
That book helped me realize that longing and desire are important parts of fiction.
What is a snack you couldn’t write without?
Coffee and seltzer and chocolate and nuts.
I do a lot of snacking when I write.
If you could change one thing about any of your books what would it be?
What is your favorite part ofThe Recent East?
What was the hardest plot point or character to write?
Her being largely a good person made it harder for me to tap into her complexity at first.
