‘I try to experience a novel as an ordinary reader and give it the fullest chance to exert its power by reading right to the end. I want to see how leads play out, how the author resolves artistic problems as they arise.’

‘I often find myself drawn to novelists who are also poets; some of their works travel with me to the places in which I write.’

‘There was always more to marvel at. The creation of emotion. The uncanny beauty of a phrase upon the page. The places you went which you never expected to see.’