Charlie is twenty-three, newly employed, and quietly unraveling. Hattie Williams’ excellent debut Bitter Sweet follows a young book publicist who finds herself in a secret relationship with the man she’s idolized since childhood. Reeling from the death of her mother, Charlie snaps out of her fog when work brings her face-to-face with Richard Aveling, a celebrated novelist and her favorite author of all time. He’s also married, twice her age, and completely off-limits in every way. But when sparks fly, Charlie can’t help but dive into the doomed relationship.
The novel recalls Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends in its cool, restrained sentences and its depiction of a precocious young woman drawn to a charismatic and unavailable older man. But Williams is more sincere, more tender, more feeling. As Charlie falls deeper under Richard’s spell, the relationship threatens her job, her friendships, and the fragile sense of self she’s only beginning to form. Bitter Sweet is a precise and moving novel about power, grief, and the horror of getting exactly what you think you want.
Describe Bitter Sweet in three words.
Many big feelings!
If Bitter Sweet were a song, what would it be?
Almost certainly Bottle Up and Explode by Elliott Smith. But really anything by Elliott Smith.
Favorite time and place to write?
Mid-morning, bed.
Best writing advice you’ve received?
Write every day for a minimum of twenty minutes, and write even when you are stuck and don’t know what to write.
What were you watching/reading/listening to when you wrote Bitter Sweet?
The Leftovers, Sally Rooney everything, First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National.
Did you outline or wing it or somewhere in between?
Fully, religiously, rigorously outline, and enjoy the surprises along the way.
If you were a literary critic, what would you say about Bitter Sweet?
Could have been shorter.
What part of Bitter Sweet was most fun to write?
The south of France section. The song Once Upon A Poolside from the aforementioned The National album played a big role in it.
What are your most overused words?
‘Nice’ and ‘of course’ and… ‘Thick hair’.
If Bitter Sweet is adapted, who needs to play Charlie? Richard?
Charlie would be the extraordinary Rosie Sheehy who read the audio book, and Richard could I think be Richard Armitage or Jon Hamm (if he can do British!)
If you could get a drink with any fictional character, who would it be?
Winston Niles Rumfoord from multiple Vonnegut novels.
What’s a book that made you want to write?
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.
What’s your relationship to self-promotion?
Always keen, always awkward!
What author’s (dead or alive) persona is aspirational?
Nora Ephron.
Favorite recent read?
Permission by Saskia Vogel. Exquisite writing.
What’s one word to describe what you’re working on now?
Sexy!
