And now he has a new book: You Are Here. It tells the story of 30-something singletons Michael and Marnie, who meet while hiking across England. A wonderful book for walkers, but also for anyone who enjoys reading about what it’s like to meet someone new just as you think you’re doing fine on your own. Attraction, repulsion, stumbling, self-doubt – all amid the scenic beauty of the wide-open Lake District landscapes.
In a recent interview, Nicholls explained that “Love stories are very hard to write.” But he knows how to do it. That’s because he has an eye for all of the small, clumsy human details. Because he writes with penetrating flair about the awkward intimacy of new love; moving without being sentimental, while wielding humour as the perfect weapon. The Guardian has called him ‘The man who made the nation cry’. So it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this book is adapted into a successful series too.
At the ILFU Book Talk on 1 October, Nicholls will tell about writing novels and scripts, loneliness, and dealing with it by walking through the landscape he loves. Don’t miss it! Find out what his characters feel when they realise: You Are Here.
During the Book Talk, David Nicholls will be interviewed by journalist, book editor and co-founder of podcastplatform Dag en Nacht Media Tim de Gier. Anna Enquist will read a paean written for Nicholls. She is a fan of his work, and even walked the 'Coast to Coast path', the hiking trail where the main characters in You are here meet.
David Nicholls on You Are Here:
'It was originally a post-pandemic book. (...) Sitting in a room and talking with people suddenly seemed very daring. The return to the outside world happened slowly, step-by-step, and I think that’s what the book is about. People who gradually re-learn how to have a real connection.'
'To Michael, hiking is therapy. He hopes it will enable him to think, sleep, and calm down. But suddenly, he is confronted with questions, jokes and conversations, so he naturally resents them at first. I wanted to show the contrasts: loneliness and all of its freedom and calm, compared to contact: being challenged, expressing yourself, and communicating.'
‘I told everyone I knew to read it, and those who did, I noticed, always thanked me afterwards extra-enthusiastically, as if I'd let them in on some extraordinary secret.’
We Are Public
Tickets for this programme are free with the We Are Public Pass.
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