I love Maggie O’Farrell. She’s my all-time favourite writer, and I’m eternally grateful for all the beauty she brings into this world. Each page in any of her books is as delicious as a perfect piece of dark, rich chocolate! There’s something about her voice, her writing style, that simply moves me beyond words… Over and over again I’m blown away by how it conjures up this mesmerising sense of getting intimately close to each character, inviting me to feel the rhythm of their breath, to taste the unique quality of their heartbeats… Her stories always seem to find a very responsive, resonant spot in me – I love getting swept away by the emotions, and the momentum of the thoughts that linger after each reading session. It’s undescribably beautiful. I love the contrasts she plays with, and how she isn’t afraid of facing the dark.
That being said, the one single thing that I love the most is her unique way of expressing that which is not there… the living, breathing space left behind when something or someone is lost; the unspoken emotions and thoughts that take form and start living their own lives, feeding off a flawed relationship… and how she uses this space to allow her characters the distance needed to have a proper and fresh look at themselves, to discover who they are not… and through that, they are getting to know who they really are. I find it very inspiring, and in a sense very spiritual as well.
Another thing that amazes me about the spirit of her writing is that it really translates well even into other languages. I prefer reading them in their original language, of course, but the Swedish translations of her books are actually quite lovely.
My absolute favourite is My Lover’s Lover. If you have a chance, read it.
.
Maggie O’Farrell official website:
http://www.maggieofarrell.com
