To be honest, the way I found your novel was someone emailed me to ask if they could review it. I said yes, having never heard of the book. When he sent me the review, it was pretty negative, critical, but the parts he quoted, that he was critical of, made me want to read it. (Something about doing ketamine and working a shit job and Sylvia Plath, haha.) I went to Amazon and read the opening to the novel and bought it and messaged you on both Twitter and Instagram as I already knew I wanted to interview you once I read it. Now I am reading it and writing these questions for you as I read. I am conflicted about the review because I want to put things on Hobart I don’t agree with but I also don’t want to offend you because already I am in love with your voice on the page and with this book so I am unsure what to do about the review. (Also, to be honest, it felt a little like “every man” being judgmental of “every woman,” the review, so I was insulted with you, as a female writer.) (Then, again, the review, critical or not, made me want to read the book, led me to purchase it, and to message you, so even a negative review can be of value to a writer, and therefore, should not be silenced, or even thought of, necessarily, as “negative”?) Either way**, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. How do you feel about reviews, positive or negative, do you read them? do they affect you as an artist, as a writer, as how you feel about your writing, your work?
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