Lesley Crewe's new novel is Beholden.
Cape Breton-based Lesley Crewe is the author of 10 books, including Relative Happiness, which was adapted into a feature film in 2015. Her latest, Beholden (Nimbus Publishing), is a story set close to home on the island. She follows the hardscrabble life of Nell, nicknamed the “spinster on the hill," who feels her own traumatic childhood means she could never love another person – or child. Then along comes brave Bridie, whose friendship brings about redemption for everyone around her, even Nell. Here, Crewe looks back at the books that have most influenced her throughout life.
What did you read as a kid?
The books I had as a small child are the ones I love the most, even 60 years later. My mother would read to us at bedtime, but we were encouraged to look at the books before we could read, and the illustrations were just as important to me as the stories. I can’t separate them in my mind.
My three favourite verses ever, are from A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson: Rain, The Swing, and Windy Nights. I would spend hours looking at those pictures and when I could read, I’d say the words over and over again, like a prayer.
The best book I ever owned was The Tall Book of Mother Goose, copyright 1942, with illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky. The fact that the book itself was tall and slender enthralled me as a child. The pictures are sublime. I found out only a few years ago that Rojankovsky drew Humpty Dumpty to look like Adolf Hitler, a very personal jab at a dangerous time.
One more. Bedtime for Frances, by Russell Hoban; illustrator, Garth Williams. Perfection.
What did you read in grade school?
One day, I came home after school, and sitting on the hall chair was the book Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I sat down and read the entire book on that chair. My mother didn’t even bother to give me dinner, I was so enthralled. It’s the book I remember the most, because when I finally stood up, I realized that someone else – a writer, a grown-up – felt like I did. That animals and insects have profound lives of their own. They are just as special as we are. I remember I cried in the tub that night.
What did you read in high school?
The book that stands out the most for me was Lord of the Flies by William Golding, but that’s possibly because we got to watch the 1963 Lord of the Flies movie during school hours that same week and it left a big impression, most notably that poor old Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web had his head stuck on a stake with flies crawling all over him. That was disturbing. And then they go and kill Piggy. I was a mess. But the book fascinated me because there were no females in it and it gave me a glimpse into a totally male world. Since I had no brothers and didn’t date a lot, I found it intriguing. I loved the book Boy by Roald Dahl for the same reason.
What have you read as an adult?
The wonderful thing about being an adult is you can read as many wacky books at you want, and none of them have to add up to anything profound. I have always loved England’s Rosamunde Pilcher and Ireland’s Maeve Binchy, because their novels were about relationships. And then I read Canada’s Bonnie Burnard’s A Good House. This was a story that spoke to me. I wanted to write about ordinary families and the extraordinary moments that make up our lives. Luckily, I’ve done that 10 times now.
On the other hand, I love reading anything by David Sedaris, i.e. Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, or Bill Bryson, i.e. The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid. That’s because I love humour and I try to bring that to my novels as well. You can’t get through life without a funny-bone. Especially at present.
What are you reading now?
I spent many happy hours on the beach this summer savouring P.G. Wodehouse’s novel Leave it to Psmith. It was a riot! Though it was written about 95 years ago, I found myself giggling helplessly at a world I’ll never know, but feels familiar, thanks to television series such as Downton Abbey. I am definitely going to be reading more of P.G. Wodehouse’s novels in the future. Isn’t that the lovely thing about books? They bring the past, present and future within your grasp, at a moment’s notice.