Threads of Identity

Creative writing professor Nina de Gramont ’06M pens a mystery of mystery author Agatha Christie

BY KRISSY VICK

When Nina de Gramont ’06M isn’t teaching creative writing or advising graduate students, the Department of Creative Writing professor is acclimating to life as a best-selling author. Her latest novel, The Christie Affair, debuted on the New York Times Best Sellers list at No. 5, became a No. 1 best-selling paperback in the UK and will soon be a Miramax TV limited series. The book is a fictional account of the real-life disappearance of mystery writer Agatha Christie.

The Wall Street Journal said The Christie Affair “sizzles from its first sentence.” What made you want to write about Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance?

I read an article about her sudden disappearance and how she was found 11 days later at a spa hotel, registered under the name of her husband’s mistress. This detail got me thinking, “What if there had been some other explanation?” When I think of a mistress and a wife as being rivals, there is also this aspect of intimacy that is unwanted and uninvited, but still there. That is sad and powerful and filled me with sympathy for Christie to be in this state as she grappled with these threads of identity. In her autobiography, she is open and frank about the end of her marriage, but she doesn’t reference the disappearance.

How did you go about getting to know Agatha Christie as you wrote the book?

I read a lot of her novels and tried to get to know her to make an homage to her. I approached it with an awareness that she wouldn’t want the book to be written at all. I tried to describe her in ways she would describe herself through anecdotes found in her autobiographies.

The Christie Affair has earned numerous national and international accolades. As its popularity has grown, was there a pivotal moment for you?

Certainly, the moment that caused the most excitement was finding out Reese Witherspoon had chosen it for her book club. Also, finding out the book was on the New York Times Best Sellers list. I was teaching a 3:30 p.m. class that day and found out during my break. I asked my colleague and friend to sit with my class while I called my editor. After I hung up, I got to go back and share the good news with my class. They were very sweet and supportive and clapped for me. It was lovely.

What is the writing process like for you from conception to completion, particularly with this novel?

It varies from book to book. With this book, I really wanted to do a first draft without any research at all because I was worried that research would infiltrate my imagination. I wanted it to be a story no one else could tell.

Once I had that draft, I did intensive research about Christie’s life and those 11 days. Researching a specific time period can offer up a gift of opportunity to learn interesting details. I learned so much about the Spanish Flu, the Irish War for Independence and WWI.

You have published 10 books to date. How would you describe your writing habits? Do you write every day?

When I am at my best, yes. It’s a complicated question, because there are certain periods when I don’t or can’t write every day, but those are typically the days when I don’t get anything done. I always tell my students, “You don’t have to write every day, but you have to visit it every day; at least open the document and look at it. If you do want to be a writer and have a finished novel, you must commit to writing at least five days a week.” That sounds harsh, but it is honest, because the books don’t write themselves. I would be more productive if I stringently followed my own advice. The periods when I do follow it result in a book.

What part of your teaching craft would you say most informs your own work and practice as a writer?

We have a class called Forms in our department for graduate students. We deconstruct novels by mapping out things like structure and technique—there are notes all over the whiteboard. This is really helpful to me, especially when we look at contemporary writers, because it helps me think about the novel in an architectural way and makes me more inventive. Some of the students get really into it, which is a great example of how the student teaches the teacher.

The paperback edition of The Christie Affair was recently released in the U.S., which has prompted another round of speaking engagements for you. What does this mean for your readers?

I hope it means that a lot of book clubs can read it and explore some of the underlying themes. The book reminds us that many aspects of the not-so-distant past still carry over to our culture today, particularly the treatment of women. When I was researching mother and baby homes, girls weren’t supposed to know each other’s names. But there is such a natural connection and relationship between women that makes friendships inevitable. I hope the book clubs will talk about that.

Accolades

AMAZON.COM BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

CHAPTERS INDIGO BEST OF THE YEAR

GOODREADS MOST ANTICIPATED LIST 2022

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER –#1 IN UK PAPERBACKS

MIRAMAX TV TELEVISION SERIES IN PRODUCTION

KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK, FEBRUARY 2022

WASHINGTON POST BEST THRILLERS AND MYSTERIES OF 2022

WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF 2022