VOICES WE KEEP

Best-selling author Ann Patchett is known for literary fiction including The Dutch House and Bel Canto. Here she discusses her newest novel (and the GH Book Club pick), Whistler.

- by SARAH VINCENT

Your work needs no introduction, but how would you describe this story?

Daphne Fuller is 53 when she sees someone following her in a museum. The man is Eddie, her stepfather from when she was 9, and they pick back up on the profound relationship they had. It's a book about how if you have one person in your life who really loves you and sees you and supports you when you're a child, it can make all the difference. It's not romantic, but it is very much a love story.

Whistler explores the importance of chosen family. What was the inspiration behind it?

One of my closest friends, Jim Fox, died, and the book is dedicated to him. There's a period of time after loss when you can still hear someone clearly in your mind. I started to think about taking Jim's spirit and putting all the love that I had for him into a character, Eddie. The way Eddie speaks is the way Jim spoke.