Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty's latest novel is What Alice Forgot -- it's about a woman who lost a decade of memories.

From her Q & A at Chicklit Club:

What inspired your latest novel, What Alice Forgot?

I read a newspaper article about a woman in the UK who had lost her memory and thought she was a teenage girl. She didn't recognise her husband or children, and she was like a sulky teenager. Her children were upset because she didn't want to cook dinner. I became fascinated with the idea of how your memory is the basis of your identity. I think I was also influenced by the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's about an unusual business offering a service that wipes memories of a bad relationship from your mind.

Did you do much research into amnesia?

I bought a whole lot of expensive books about the science of memory and wasted hours confusing myself.

What part of your past 10 years would you most not want to forget? And anything you wish you could?

I wouldn't want to forget so many lovely memories like meeting my husband, or my baby's first smile, or the delirious expression on his face when he ate chocolate for the first time, or my first Mother's Day morning. Then again, I don't want to forget the bad times of the past 10 years, because they make the happy times all the sweeter. I guess...[read on]

Visit Liane Moriarty's website.

--Marshal Zeringue