Virginia Evans, the Women's prize-shortlisted novelist, opens up about her literary journey, from early childhood reading to the books that shaped her as a writer. Her latest novel, The Correspondent, is a testament to her love for storytelling.
Earliest Reading Memory
Evans recalls her earliest reading experiences with her older sister, who set the example for her to become a reader. Whether it was The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams or the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, they were often found in the back of the family car or lying across their twin beds in the room they shared.
Favorite Book Growing Up
As a child, Evans loved mysteries and fantasy worlds. She devoured the Nancy Drew series and The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. The Narnia stories and The Wind in the Willows also captivated her. 'I loved books about things that can't exist,' she says, citing escapism through crimes solved by children, talking animals, time travel, and miniature people.
The Book That Changed Me as a Teenager
At 15, Evans read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which opened her eyes to the power of fiction. 'It was my first real understanding of what fiction can do, how far a story can go, how words can be put to the intricacies of living,' she explains. The novel stretched her empathy as she witnessed the Joad family's struggles during the Dust Bowl.
The Writer Who Changed My Mind
Joan Didion has had a profound impact on Evans. 'Every time I read her work, I am changed in some way,' she says. Didion's writing makes her think differently about the world, people, politics, land, water, time, motherhood, and marriage.
The Book That Made Me Want to Be a Writer
While majoring in English and creative writing in college, Evans read Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. She discovered the beauty and power of language, which inspired her to pursue writing. 'I thought: I have to do this, I can do this, I will do this,' she recalls.
The Author I Came Back To
Evans initially tried Jane Austen too young and struggled with Pride and Prejudice. However, when she revisited it in her late 20s, she thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Books I Reread
Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Steinbeck's East of Eden are books Evans reads again and again. She mentions she is due for another read of East of Eden soon.
The Book I Could Never Read Again
Evans devoured Stieg Larsson's Millennium series but found it terrifying. She has considered rereading it but remains too disturbed to do so.
The Book I Discovered Later in Life
Evans did not read Louisa May Alcott's Little Women until just before the 2019 film adaptation. She wept through scenes of Jo March trying to make it as an author. 'It hit so close, and of course I had not made it,' she says. Having her own children by then, she identified strongly with the girls' mother.
The Book I Am Currently Reading
Evans is rereading Sue Miller's While I Was Gone. She discovered Miller 15 years ago in a used bookstore and loves her stories, particularly the eerie undercurrent and construction of the novel.
My Comfort Read
Evans lists several comfort reads: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
Virginia Evans's novel The Correspondent is shortlisted for the Women's Prize. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
