Lionel Shriver, THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE

I had so much fun interviewing Lionel Shriver about her latest book, The Motion of the Body Through Space. Lionel's previous novels include the international best-seller We Need to Talk About Kevin, among other terrific books like Double Fault. Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Lionel is witty and insightful and has her finger on the pulse of contemporary culture, as evidenced in the narrative and characters in The Motion of the Body Through Space. Our conversation was sprinkled with laughter as we talked about her novel, which highlights what she calls today's "cult of exercise" and how exercise has become somewhat of a spiritual pursuit plus a socially competitive activity. We also explored the experience of aging especially as an athlete. I loved her advice to aspiring authors: "write whatever you damn well please!"