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'It was hilariously unlikely that a book of punctuation would be the number one bestseller in America'

22 March 2021

‘I feel sorry for people who have massive success when they're young. I was 48 when Eats, Shoots & Leaves became a bestseller and that helped me deal with it. All the time it was happening I was thinking: "In 10 years' time I'll look back on this with fond memories," because at the time I was quite anxious. I was also quite amused by it, because it was hilariously unlikely that a book of punctuation would be the number one bestseller in America...

I grew up in a small council house and still think of myself as working class. I always wanted to write, but thought I hadn't been born with the right certificate. It was in my 30s, once my father died and I was feeling a sense of futility, that I felt a great surge of determination to stop this ridiculous feeling. I did some therapy and it helped me to stop thinking I was unworthy.'

Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves and 30 other books, including four crime novels.
https://www.lynnetruss.com/