Sloane Crosley is the author of two collections of essays: I Was Told There'd Be Cake, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize, and How Did You Get This Number. Her debut novel, The Clasp, was recently published by Harper Avenue.
Which books have you re-read most in your life?
Dubliners, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Lolita, Me Talk Pretty One Day, The Necklace and Other Stories. I've read and loved all of these books, but Dubliners probably has the best story behind it. I was in the eighth grade and we were discussing "Araby" in class and my teacher was very dismissive about the ending, concluding that "these Joyce endings don't always have to mean something." But I felt so strongly for the lovelorn narrator, saw how when the girl at the fair blows him off, he connects it with his long-time crush placating him. And that's why he walks away, not because it "doesn't mean anything." So Dubliners represents a lot for me. It's not only the first time I realized an adult educator didn't know everything but forged a lifelong bond between me and a piece of literature – I have no idea how many times I've read The Dead. It taught me that there can be just as much going on off the page as on the page. This seems like a basic lesson but it's a big one for a 13-year-old.
What scares you as a writer?
Running out of original thoughts. That's terrifying … and yet? Statistically probable, considering how long humans have roamed the Earth. In every interview, people ask you "what's next?" In a way, it's flattering and motivating, that people think of all writers as a gushing fountain of imagination. For me, there's a flow of original thought, but it's probably best to imagine it as a temperamental drinking fountain in a public park.
What's a book every 10-year-old should read?
The Secret Garden. I think 10 might be a little late, actually. Perhaps 8 or 9? It's got all the wonderment of a children's book with all the richness of a real novel. I remember feeling like my whole world expanded when I read that book. It speaks to so much of what's on a child's mind: loneliness and isolation but also the desire for fun and a capacity for happiness, wonderment at nature, friendship and a deep need for there to be magic in the world, for it to be only somewhat hidden. I would argue that the classic "second bedroom" dream that most adult New Yorkers have – in which you dream there's a door you never noticed at the back of your closet and it leads to all this great big wonderful space – has its origins in The Secret Garden.
Which book do you think is under-appreciated?
In recent years? Donna Tartt's second novel, The Little Friend. Brazil by John Updike also sticks out, but The Little Friend is my favourite book of Tartt's. It's absolutely haunting and wonderful and belongs among the Great Southern Novels. You can see so much of The Goldfinch in it as well. It received some great reviews but it just doesn't get passed around the way her other novels do. I think it has something to do with the ending, with people being disappointed by the resolution. And I believe that disappointment, in turn, has something to do with how cinematic our brains have become. If a movie has an ending you don't like, it can eat away at your overall enjoyment of that movie. But that's what – two hours of your life versus a 700-page novel? That's not fair.
What agreed-upon classic do you despise?
Moby-Dick. Probably because I had to read it and have known since birth it's a classic and it just never got its hooks in me. Pun intended.