LISTEN to today's conversation
with JILL SANTOPOLO
New York Times
bestselling author of
THE LIGHT WE LOST,
a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick!
with JILL SANTOPOLO
New York Times
bestselling author of
THE LIGHT WE LOST,
a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick!
"This love story between Lucy & Gabe spans decades and continents as two star-crossed lovers try to return to each other...Will they ever meet again? This book kept me up at night, turning the pages to find out, and the ending did not disappoint."--Reese Witherspoon
A four-time SkimmReads pick, September 2017 Belletrist Book of the Month, and the February 2018 Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine pick, THE LIGHT WE LOST by Jill Santopolo is an essential addition to your beach bag. Called “The epic love story” by Redbook and “heart-wrenching yet beautiful” by Us Weekly, THE LIGHT WE LOST is an immersive, heartrending novel about the inner workings of the human heart, the lengths we go to pursue our dreams and the sacrifices we make for love.
With shades of the tragic choice in Me Before You, the fated scope of One Day, and the immutability of The Time Traveler’s Wife, THE LIGHT WE LOST explores the dreams, desires, jealousies and betrayals that can accompany passion, especially when the stars align against an indelible, if fragile, love. With foreign rights sold in over thirty countries, it has struck a chord both at home and abroad—proving that love is universal, as is its consequences. “This book will sink its hooks into your heart on page one,” says Bustle, “and leave you scarred long after you’re done.”
About THE LIGHT WE LOST
On a day that irreversibly alters both of their lives, Columbia University students Lucy and Gabe come together amidst tragedy, fueled by a deep connection found in a dark moment. What follows, over the course of more than a decade in a series of beautifully written vignettes, is a journey that brings them together and apart as they to etch out their respective careers and come to terms with the concrete consequences of following their dreams.
Gabe, inspired and compelled to travel to the Middle East as a war zone photojournalist, leaves Lucy in New York, where she forges a successful career—and, eventually, a life without the person she thought was her soulmate. She gives her heart to someone new, a steady, safe, and loving man named Darren. But as time goes on, Lucy realizes that she can never give her heart away again fully as she continues to cling to the impossibly perfect love she believes she was meant to share with Gabe. As Lucy tells the story of her life, she addresses Gabe directly, sharing memories and secrets that result in an unraveling destiny and surprising, unforgettable conclusion.
Jill will address the following:
· This story is so moving and so honest. What inspired you to write it?
· Before The Light We Lost, you’d written primarily for children and young adults. Why did you decide to write an adult novel?
· What was different about writing for an adult audience? Did your process change?
· Lucy’s voice is so powerful and sincere on the page. What was it like to write her character? How much of you is in her voice?
· How did you come up with Gabe and Darren? Did the men change as you developed the story?
· So which are you: Team Darren or Team Gabe?
· You yourself were a student at Columbia University on September 11, 2001. What was it like writing about this experience through fiction? Were your own experiences similar?
· Without giving anything away, did you always know how the novel would end?
· You also work as an editor of children’s books. What is different about writing your own stories from editing others’? Is there one side you prefer?
www.jillsantopolo.com
Twitter: @JillSantopolo
Facebook: @JillSantopoloAuthor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Santopolo received a BA in English literature from Columbia University and an MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She's the author of three successful children’s and young-adult series and works as the editorial director of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers group, where she's edited books by Mayim Bialik, Chelsea Clinton, Amy Ephron, and Lisa Graff, among others. An adjunct professor in The New School’s MFA program, Jill travels the world to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in New York City.
