Tom's Book Club

Alexander Starritt on Drayton and Mackenzie

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Alexander Starritt discusses his novel Drayton and Mackenzie, an ambitious and deeply human story about friendship, ambition, and the desire to leave a mark on the world. The novel follows James Drayton and Roland Mackenzie, two former university acquaintances whose very different paths through adulthood become unexpectedly entwined. Set against the backdrop of the financial crash and the rise of the modern tech world, the book charts decades of friendship, reinvention, and uneasy success. In this conversation, Alexander Starritt talks about the real-world backdrop, capturing the mindset of tech entrepreneurs and founders and exploring modern male friendship. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Eric Puchner on Dream State

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Eric Puchner discusses his novel Dream State, an expansive story about love, friendship, and the decisions that shape a lifetime. The novel begins in Montana, where Cece arrives at her future in-laws’ lake house to prepare for her wedding to Charlie. But when Charlie’s oldest friend Garrett enters the picture, a single summer sets three lives on an entirely different course with consequences that ripple across fifty years and multiple generations. In this conversation, Eric Puchner talks about writing characters across decades, the challenges of writing about climate change and the real-life experiences that informed the novel. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Lucy Steeds on The Artist

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Lucy Steeds discusses her debut novel The Artist, winner of both the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025 and Waterstones Book of the Year 2025. Set in Provence in 1920, The Artist follows Ettie, a young woman living in the shadow of her uncle, the celebrated painter Edouard Tartuffe. When an ambitious journalist arrives at the isolated farmhouse hoping to interview the elusive artist, long-buried secrets begin to surface over the course of one sweltering summer. In this conversation, Lucy Steeds talks about writing from dual perspectives, capturing the sensory atmosphere of 1920s France, and how synesthesia shaped the novel’s vivid descriptions and emotional texture. The episode also explores creativity, power, and the tension between artistic genius and those forced to support it from the margins. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Liz Moore on The God of the Woods

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Liz Moore discusses her gripping novel The God of the Woods, shortlisted for the 2026 British Book Awards in the Crime & Thriller category. Set in a remote American summer camp, the novel begins with the disappearance of a teenage girl — fourteen years after her brother vanished in the same wilderness. As the search unfolds, long-buried secrets surrounding the powerful Van Laar family begin to surface, raising questions about what really happened, and who might be responsible. In this conversation, Liz Moore explores the origins of the novel, her approach to writing across multiple timelines and perspectives, and the challenges of inhabiting such a wide cast of characters. She also discusses research, character creation, and the real-life influences behind the story. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Lily King on Heart The Lover

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Lily King discusses her novel Heart the Lover, now shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel follows a writer whose intense friendship with two magnetic figures in her youth continues to shape her life years later. Moving across time, Heart the Lover explores love in its many forms and the lasting impact of the choices we make. In this conversation, Lily King talks about the origins of the novel, its distinctive structure, and being surprised by readers reactions. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.