Book Club Kit
e at h tH b er
Ro ©
A conversation with
FRANC ES L I A R DET What inspired you to write this story? I had a feeling, when I finished my previous novel, We Must Be Brave, that I wasn’t done with the character of James Acton, the vicar of St. Peter’s Church in the village of Upton. He swam into my consciousness quite late in the writing of We Must Be Brave, and he began to assume more and more importance in my mind as I went through the drafts. By the end it was clear that he needed his own book! As his backstory developed, I realized that I could bring in an Egyptian dimension and draw on my experience of living in Egypt and also on the roles played by my grandfathers during the North African Campaign of the Second World War.
How was writing Think of Me similar to or different from writing your previous novel, We Must Be Brave? Brave Do you have a favorite part of the writing process? The two books came about in very different ways. We Must Be Brave was written in short bursts over a total of four years, often in the early morning, while I took care of my young daughter and did volunteer work. Think of Me took half that time and was finished at the end of 2020 in the isolation enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. I wrote almost all day during that time! I suppose my favorite part of the writing process is the first draft, the most difficult part, where the most effort has to be expended. It is very exciting feeling a scene take shape or a character deepen!
How did you come to craft Yvette’s and James’s characters? Why did you choose to include Yvette’s journal entries as part of your storytelling? As with James, the character of his beloved wife, Yvette, also very quickly assumed a life of her own. As it happens, she has secrets to tell which are vital to the narrative. But even if these secrets were not so integral to the plot, I would have still wanted us to see the world—and James—through her eyes and hear her voice!
In Think of Me, Me James undergoes a reckoning with his faith. What moved you to write about this unique journey? Did you draw inspiration from your own life experiences? I find the emotional side of faith very interesting, particularly in Christianity, which attests that God gave his son—his only son—to the world. The parables of the New Testament are full of love and warmth, and for people who lose their faith, it is more than an intellectual shift, it is a totally human feeling of being abandoned. I did not draw on personal experience, but I grew up in the Church of England at a time when everyone in the community went to church and knew and understood the Gospels on a human scale.
James and Yvette’s relationship feels like an emotional yet realistic portrait of a couple battling with grief. What aspect of James and Yvette’s relationship during these difficult times did you feel was important to highlight or do justice? I think the most important part of what happened to Yvette and James as a couple was the breakdown in communication between them. We learn later in the book exactly why James found it so hard to support Yvette, but at the time it seems to Yvette—who is telling this particular part of the story—that James is so changed that he is no longer the man she knew. He can’t even really acknowledge their tragedy, let alone talk about it, and this is what Yvette needs so desperately to do.
However much you
love the past, however much you mourn
those who are gone, don’t get stuck in
nostalgia or grief.
Move on with hope.
The villagers of Upton are such rich and lived-in characters that you feel close to them by the end of the novel. Were any of these personalities inspired by real people? This is a difficult one! None of them are modeled on real people, but a character like Lady Brock, for example, feels so familiar to me that she must be drawn from life in some way. That generation was important in my youth, and I suppose I must have absorbed their voices, attitudes, and physical mannerisms in some way.
Who was your favorite character to write, and why? I can’t choose between James and Yvette, and nor should I be able to!
In We Must Be Brave, Brave you portray the fierce love between a mother and daughter. In Think of Me, Me you show the complex relationship between a father and son after heartbreak. What drew you to write about this dynamic? What do you think is special about James and Tom’s relationship? What I really like about the relationship between James and Tom is the fact that it has come about because they lost Yvette. Yvette’s absence compelled James to parent Tom completely differently from the way he would have if Yvette had been alive. He really had to be everything to Tom, and this led to a very intimate father-son relationship and a very strong bond which lasted into adulthood. As a result, James and Tom both feel perfectly comfortable whatever they’re doing, whether they are remembering Yvette or bickering about toast.
What do you want readers to take away from Think of Me? Me However much you love the past, however much you mourn those who are gone, don’t get stuck in nostalgia or grief. Move on with hope. Yvette’s last message to James is “Think of me.” But she adds, “Not too often”!
What’s next for you? I’m getting rather beguiled with Ellen’s brother Edward, whom we met at the beginning of We Must Be Brave. Edward went to sea at the age of fourteen and ended up in Singapore on the eve of the Second World War. His is a life full of twists and turns, and I can’t wait to find out what he gets up to! Is he the coward he thinks he is, always running out on those he loves—just like his father did? Or can he forgive himself and grasp the chance for happiness?
Discussion Guide 1.
Yvette and James’s love story began during the turbulent times of World War II. What do you think drew each of them to the other? How do you think the war changed them? In what ways do you feel they saved each other?
2.
How did Yvette’s journal entries add to your read of Think of Me? What did you learn most from her perspective throughout the years?
3.
What was your favorite scene in the novel, and why?
4.
If you were placed in Yvette’s and James’s shoes after the tragedy they faced, how do you think you would have reacted? Do you think one person reacted better or worse than the other? Why or why not?
5.
How do you think the village of Upton changed both Yvette and James? Without those people, do you think their stories would have taken different paths?
6.
Discuss the different ways faith plays an important role in Think of Me. How did you feel about Yvette’s and James’s individual relationships with faith? Was there a particular moment in Think of Me that resonated with your experience?
7.
If you were Tom, how would you have felt after learning James and Yvette’s secret past? Do you think James was right or wrong to keep it from Tom, and why?
8.
Do you consider Yvette’s actions in Upton a betrayal? Do you think her marriage would have survived without those actions?
9.
How did you feel about James and Ellen’s budding relationship? Do you think their dynamic would have been possible if they had met when they were younger? Why or why not?
10.
What were your thoughts about the ending?
Tom’s Apple Turnover Ingredients
Step 1 Combine the lemon juice and 4 cups water in a large bowl. Place the
2 tablespoons lemon juice
sliced apples in the water to keep them from browning.
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon water
Step 2
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled,
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain water from the apples, and place them into the hot skillet. Cook and stir for about
cored, and sliced 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup brown sugar
2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Pour into the skillet, and mix well. Cook for another minute, or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
Step 3 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Step 4 Unfold 2 puff pastry sheets, and repair any cracks by pressing them back together. Trim each sheet into a square, then cut each larger
For glaze
square into 4 smaller squares. Spoon apples onto the center of each square. Fold over from corner to corner into a triangle shape, and
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
press edges together to seal. Place the turnovers on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.
1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Serves 8
Step 5 Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the turnovers are puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely before glazing.
Step 6 To make the glaze, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Adjust the thickness by adding more sugar or milk as desired. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled turnovers.
Recipe from AllRecipes.com: allrecipes.com/recipe/59124/ apple-turnovers
Note If you do not wish to make the glaze, you can brush beaten egg over the top of each turnover, and sprinkle with white sugar before baking.