Joe Dunthorne, author of Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance, reflects on the books that shaped his life and writing career, from childhood favorites to recent discoveries.
Earliest Reading Memory
Dunthorne recalls the Alfie stories by Shirley Hughes, which he only realized he knew by heart when reading them to his own children. Each reading takes him back to his attic room in Swansea 40 years ago, watching his father turn the pages.
Favorite Book Growing Up
At age 10, Dunthorne read only Terry Pratchett. His favorite was Mort, where the protagonist becomes Death's apprentice, learning to reap souls. He loved how the book made the afterlife seem ordinary and bureaucratic, with the Grim Reaper resembling a taxman.
The Book That Changed Me as a Teenager
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy was a set text at school, but it cut through his skepticism. Tess was the first fictional character he truly believed in, and her death felt real, showing him the power of books.
The Writer Who Changed My Mind
When writing about his family's German-Jewish history, Dunthorne's parents doubted the idea. Reading HHhH by Laurent Binet gave him permission to approach the subject with levity and seriousness, telling the story in his own voice.
The Book That Made Me Want to Be a Writer
At 17, Dunthorne read his older sister's copy of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, which inspired him to become a writer.
The Author I Came Back To
Growing up in Swansea, Dunthorne developed an allergy to Dylan Thomas, who was inescapable. For 20 years, he turned against him, but recently came to love his short stories, especially the autobiographical ones in Portrait of the Artist As a Young Dog, which he finds warm and irreverent.
The Book I Reread
Dunthorne once avoided rereading, but now returns to Meadowlands by Louise Glück. The spare language suits multiple readings, and her poems about shifting perspectives make rereading a theme in itself.
The Book I Could Never Read Again
At 18, a teacher lent him The Secret History by Donna Tartt. He devoured it, feeling part of an intellectual group. But after university, he felt conned by its portrayal of academic life.
The Book I Discovered Later in Life
Dunthorne was late to Marilynne Robinson but loved Housekeeping, especially the image of a train derailing into a glacial lake.
The Book I Am Currently Reading
He is reading Thomas Bernhard's My Prizes, a short book about nine literary prizes and his ungratefulness. Dunthorne finds it shocking and refreshing, like a cold plunge.
My Comfort Read
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith was the book he and his partner read to each other during night feeds after their son was born, escaping into Ripley's world of money and murder.
