 Whether you're a long-time fan of therapy or you've never even thought about sitting down on that kind of couch, you're sure to find something you love about Maybe You Should Talk To Someone. Written by Lori Gottlieb, psychotherapist and author of The Atlantic's "Dear Therapist" column, this unique book takes readers inside the sessions of various therapy patients of Lori's and her own sessions with her new therapist. From the seemingly self-centered TV producer John to the endearing cancer patient Julie, there are so many wonderfully diverse characters in this book that'll catch your attention immediately. You'll quickly become invested in the lives of these patients, wishing them well, tracking their growth, and hoping they find what they're looking for. You might even learn something about yourself in the process! Additionally, this book presents an inside look at Lori — a therapist seeking therapy. In a fluid, conversational way, Lori presents her history, discussing her personal struggles about her health, her fears, her careers, and her relationships. By the end of this memoir you'll find yourself cheering Lori (and her patients) on like they're old friends you've known forever. Get your copy now. –Heather Braga (@heather_braga) In this new newsletter series, we're featuring interviews we've conducted with some of our favorite authors. Today, we talked to Caroline Kepnes, author of You and Providence, which is out now in paperback. Providence is part-romance, part-crime novel, part-supernatural. It's hard to fit it into one box. What inspired you to combine those different genres of writing? Were there any challenges that arose from that?
We all know that feeling when you can't stop thinking about someone. And here we are in 2019, we carry around devices that enable obsession. It's supernatural to me, and that's what got me going with Providence, thinking about how much daily life has changed since I was a kid. There was a lot more wonder when you couldn't Google people, when there was no Internet in your pocket. Now, you don't need to go to a library to go down a rabbit hole. It's a miracle and a nightmare, kind of like unrequited love. Jon, Chloe and Eggs are all playing detective, living in the rabbit hole, which is detrimental to their lives, yet necessary in order to secure the lives and the love they want. They're all carrying a torch, and it's like, "What point is that fire going to burn you alive? How do you give up when it's never been easier to obsessively search for answers and study the past?" It was challenging and invigorating to weave the tapestry of these voices while exploring the ever-evolving meaning of human connection.
You've done some TV writing and also wrote one of the episodes of You. How does TV writing differ from writing a novel?
With a novel, you're finding the voices, building the world, constantly renovating it. I feel like a carpenter running from one unfinished room to another, and it's a lot of hours alone thinking, rewriting, staring. In TV, you spend a lot of time in a writer's room with a team. Your script is also a piece of a larger puzzle. I wrote episode 8 of season one of You and there were plans for episodes 9 and 10, plus the prior episodes were pretty much locked. There are boundaries: you have to consider which actors are available and what locations are realistic. The script is going to actors and production designers and editors. The final, published draft of a novel goes directly to the reader, who will cast it and play it out in their imagination. They're different writing processes, but in all storytelling, it's ultimately you facing a blank page and you want each page to matter.
Where exactly do you get your best writing done, and why do you think that certain place or location helps get your creative juices flowing?
I like soft places, my bed or my sofa. It's easier to move around! I get into flow and then I print pages, bring them to my stark white table and sit in my ortho-friendly chair and take a red pen to the pages. I'm also a big fan of the notebook app. I write a lot, especially openings of chapters, in my phone, in the grocery store or at the coffee shop when something just clicks in my head. I love that because then you get home to work and it's like "Oh, look at that. I already started." It's always about finding that balance between routine and rut. Some weeks, I'm like, "Okay, I can't be in here," and I wake up and go to a coffee shop. Being around people helps get the juices flowing. It's a rush when you get lost in writing and realizing you forgot you're in the world. Either way, you wind up at the white table like "How do I make this better?"
You has reached a huge audience now thanks to Netflix. What is it about Joe and Beck's story that you think connects so much with people?
It's the most spectacular thing, to see all these people all revved up. When I was writing the first draft I was obsessed, perplexed over my feelings. Was I rooting for Joe? WTF? Joe is a dreamer, he's quoting Prince, he loves books, and we all know that reading promotes empathy...but then he rationalizes murder. How do you add it all up? It's scary to wonder if you would know if you met this guy in real life. It's also an emotional tug of war. He's a voyeur–but we all creep around online–and Beck is an exhibitionist–but most of us share things online. It's fun to dissect the qualities of "good" guys and "good" girls. In the book and the show, Joe lets you all the way in, and you don't always like what you see. But he's not hiding anything. That kind of honesty is compelling. Because he breaks the rules, we see Beck's private communications, her stories. Of course, we're seeing them through his eyes, but it's something. And my goodness, Penn and Elizabeth are both exquisite at making you feel for them.
We're anxiously awaiting any information about the upcoming second season of You. What can you tell us about it?
He's coming to LA, oh yes. Season 2 is based on Hidden Bodies, the sequel to You. For me, You is about obsession and Hidden Bodies is about love. Broken-hearted New Yorker Joe relocates to Los Angeles on a revenge mission. It's fun to see him grapple with what he perceives as a culture of aspirations, networking, and guacamole. He meets a woman named Love Quinn, whose tight-knit family owns a chain of posh grocery stores where they literally send you off with "love." She's nothing like Beck: she's a little older, all about her family, and her twin brother Forty. Joe never had that kind of unity and comfort as a child, and he certainly never made a Friends-type family in New York. This could be the future he didn't think was possible, the kind of love he thinks he deserves. But as we know, he does have a dark past that might ruin his future. I can tell you that reading the book is a great way to warm up for Season 2. I've been squirreled away writing the next Joe book and it's so exciting to wake up every day and know that they're shooting a few miles away.
What's one book you read recently that you can't stop thinking about?
I was so absorbed by Mary Kubica's The Other Mrs. The Mouse chapters will be with me forever and I was addicted to the story. Right now, I'm reading Bassey Ikpi's I'm Lying But I'm Telling the Truth and I am dazzled. It's lyrical and gritty and revelatory. BuzzFeed, Inc.
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