She admitted ageing had shifted her mindset. <\/p>\n
“What’s the point of being 68 if you can’t say what you feel about things?” she said. “I’m going to be unafraid to write about difficult things.”<\/p>\n
Despite the heavy theme, French said humour runs throughout the novel. “I hope that I’ve also brought some joy and some laughs into a tricky subject, because that’s how I deal with difficult stuff in my life,” she said.<\/p>\n
French described Cornwall as the place where “my skin just relaxes”, adding: “That’s where my heart is. That’s where my light is. That’s where my joy is.” <\/p>\n
While the novel keeps its coastal setting vague, she said, “for me, the coast is Cornwall”.<\/p>\n
The book taps into fears about growing older, both for those ageing and their families, exploring “acceptance and understanding and control and connection and family”.<\/p>\n
French said avoiding difficult conversations only made them harder. “The only way out is through,” she said.<\/p>\n