October 2024

I have read so many of Sophie Kinsella’s books through the years. They have made me laugh --- and then laugh some more. She had a keen eye on twentysomething women with her character, Rebecca “Becky” Bloomwood.

So what happens when you are an author who has been through a health crisis, and you want to write a book about it? Nonfiction? No, that would be way too dull. It would be full of facts and things that you really do not remember, and honestly interviewing people would not be much fun. Instead you turn to what you know best, which is what Sophie does in her latest novel, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? In it, renowned novelist Eve Monroe is facing a devastating diagnosis, and she is learning to live and love anew. Sophie was diagnosed two years ago with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer, which at this time has no cure.

Here’s what Sophie says about her inspiration for the book: “Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”

I love that Sophie talks about “normal plus.” Normal plus is not just having orange marmalade; it’s having the best orange marmalade.

And yes, just as there is a lot of Sophie in Rebecca Bloomwood, Sophie is the inspiration for Eve. This is very personal fiction.