6 Quick Questions with Esther Freud, Author of I Couldn’t Love You More

Briefly tell us about your book.

I Couldn’t Love You More is a multi-generational story, narrated by three women from the same family.  It charts the relationships of lovers and wives, but most particularly mothers and daughters –  the bonds that tie them together, the secrets that drive them apart.

What inspired the idea behind this book?

I wanted to write about love in its many forms, how our mothering affects the way we love, and when I began to think about my own mother and how, as a young, unmarried woman in the early ’60’s she felt the need to keep the fact of her pregnancy secret from her family, I knew I had my story.

What was the research process like for the book?

I spent a lot of time researching Irish mother and baby homes, and was shocked by the brutality I discovered. Women, girls sometimes as young as thirteen, were incarcerated in institutions as recently as the 1990’s, forced to work far into their labour, given no pain relief when their children were being born, and asked never to speak of it, when their babies were sold to adoptive parents, often against their will.

Does the creative process get easier for you with each book?

Each book has its own challenges. The only thing that gets easier is the belief that if you keep working you will get to the end.

How does it feel to hold your book in your hands?

It’s a magical moment to hold the first copy of the book in your hands. The weight of it, the texture of the cover, the exact amount of printed pages,  it never fails to amaze and delight.

What’s your daily writing routine like and what are you working on at the moment?

Long ago I discovered mornings were the best time for me to write. I feel more cheerful, have more energy and everything else can wait. For thirty years I’ve worked for between three and five hours, five days a week.  It’s important for me to know when I’m going to start, and also when I’m going to stop. Then I work towards my own deadline. It doesn’t matter how many words I write – it’s about giving the book my attention –  even if that means cutting words, I’m still helping the story to grow.