It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for Nobody’s Wife by Laura Pearson, published by Agora Books on 28th March and available for kindle and in paperback. It was an absolute joy last year to discover Laura’s writing – I absolutely loved her debut, Missing Pieces (you’ll find my review here – and just 99p for kindle at the moment), exquisite writing, every word so carefully chosen, wonderful story-telling, and a story that tore me apart. It was also such a pleasure to work with the team at Agora Books – the digital publishing arm of literary agency Peters Fraser + Dunlop (you’ll find them on Twitter and Instagram too) – and my thanks to Peyton Stableford for her support with this post (and for the e-copy that I’m dying to read).
Of the four of them, only three remained. And there was no going backwards from there.
Emily and Josephine have always shared everything. They’re sisters, flatmates, and best friends. It’s the two of them against the world.
When Emily has the perfect wedding, and Josephine finds the perfect man, they know things will change forever. But nothing can prepare them for what, or who, one of them is willing to give up for love.
Four people. Three couples. Two sisters. One unforgiveable betrayal.
From the best-selling author of Missing Pieces comes a heart-wrenching story about family, loyalty, and obsession that will have you racing to the finish.
I’m quite desolate that I just couldn’t read this one ahead of the tour – the early reviews have been wonderful – but I’m delighted to welcome Laura as my guest here on Being Anne, to tell us about the books, film and TV that helped inspire Nobody’s Wife…
Nobody’s Wife is about the relationship between sisters and about romantic betrayal. I drew inspiration from all over the place when writing it, so here’s a bit of an insight into that process.
Closer
I haven’t seen this film for years, but I watched it over and over when it first came out. I was at university at the time, and it was a big favourite in my student house. I remember the claustrophobia of it and the way the two couples’ lives intertwined, and those are certainly things I tried to emulate in Nobody’s Wife.
Doctor Foster
I went through a period of watching a lot of TV dramas a couple of years ago, and the tension of this one has really stuck with me. It’s a great portrayal of infidelity and its outcomes. I remember hardly breathing in the final episode of the first series, and I really wanted to create something just as tense.
Reality Bites
This was one of my favourite films when I was in my teens and twenties. I couldn’t even guess how many times I’ve seen it. I didn’t do it consciously, but I think I modelled Jack in Nobody’s Wife on Troy Dyer in many ways. He’s my brain’s go-to for that unreliable, bad-boy type.
Sleep With Me by Joanna Briscoe
I loved this novel and the way it tackled betrayal. I remember being so gripped by it. I can’t remember any of the details; I read a lot of novels and my memory is shocking, but I always remember how a book made me feel. It’s probably time to dig it out again.
The Affair
The first series of this TV show absolutely blew me away. I loved the way the audience saw things differently from different characters’ viewpoints. I didn’t watch this until after I’d written Nobody’s Wife, but it was on my mind when I was editing.
The Bridges of Madison County
This film (adapted from a book) about an affair is one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever seen. My sister made me watch it and I didn’t expect to like it. But I absolutely wept that first time I saw it. I love how it doesn’t tie things up neatly, or how you’d expect.
And now I’m looking forward to it even more – thank you Laura, and wishing you every possible success with this one…
About the author
Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She spent a decade living in London and working as a copywriter and editor for QVC, Expedia, Net a Porter, EE, and The Ministry of Justice. Now, she lives in Leicestershire, where she writes novels, blogs about her experience of breast cancer (www.breastcancerandbaby.com), runs The Motherload Book Club, and tries to work out how to raise her two children.
Fab post. The Bridges of Madison County is one of my favourite films ever. It makes me sob my heart out – it’s so beautiful.
Oh dear… I have to disagree with this author about “Bridges” I’m afraid. The book was so horribly poorly written, I couldn’t finish it (and that’s saying a whole lot about a novella)! And the film… sorry, but it was just… blah for me. But… to each their own!
Thanks for your comments, ladies – and I’m rather ashamed to admit that I haven’t read or seen the film of “Bridges”. I do have the DVD though, so I must give it a try…
So interesting to read about Laura’s influences – lovely to have an insight into the creative mind!