I spoke to NY Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams about her latest hit, Husbands & Lovers, a journey through midcentury Egypt and moneyed contemporary New England. Part historical fiction, part intrigue and a whole lot of romance, this story of heartbreak and redemption is set in glamorous Cairo and modern-day Winthrop Island (loosely modeled after exclusive Fisher’s Island off the coast of Connecticut). Privilege, class and the female experience all play a role in this tale of two strong women separated by decades and continents who share an exotic family heirloom, a gold bracelet with a ruby and emerald cobra.
Hannah, a Hungarian refugee, is in a loveless, safe marriage to a wealthy British diplomat in Cairo in 1951. She meets Lucien, the charming Swiss manager of the famed Shepheard’s Hotel, after she is bitten by a cobra. He saves her life and awakens a longing in her for everything she has lost. Fast forward to 2022 New England, Mallory is a single mother to 13-year-old Sam who desperately needs a kidney transplant. The one person who might be a kidney match for Mallory’s adored son Sam is his famous singer father Monk Adams. But for reasons undisclosed until the final chapters of this page-turner, Mallory refuses to approach Monk, who she hasn’t seen since the fateful summer of 2008.
Below are some highlights from our chat. You can listen to the full interview with Beatriz Williams on my podcast Elena Meets the Author on Spotify, Apple or Substack.
You are a prolific writer, writing under your own name, under a pseudonym and you’ve co-authored several books. How long does it typically take you to write a Beatriz Williams novel?
I tend to do a lot of preparation before I write the book. I don’t mean plotting; I mean thinking about the characters and the key scenes. I love that state of flow where you know your characters as well as your own children. And so, if I’ve done my preparation, (including) the historical research, the actual drafting of the book takes two to three months. It depends on the complexity of the book, how well I’ve prepared and whether my characters throw any curveballs at me. I love that serendipity of writing where once the characters are there on the page, that’s when the alchemy really happens.
You’re originally from Seattle, went to Stanford and then Columbia Business School. How did you get into writing?
I always wanted to write. I come from a very nerdy background. We went to a lot of Shakespeare and opera as a kid. My father who is British used to tell me, that with writers, many are called, few are chosen. So being kind of a pleaser, and wanting to win my parents’ approval, business seemed easier to be successful at. So, it took a ton of courage to say that while I would be an adequately successful management consultant, I really just wanted to write books.
While I know that Monk Adams is very goodlooking early on in your story, I don’t have an idea about what Mallory looks like until the final chapters.
The heart of my books is the gap between persona which is what we present to the world and our true selves. We tend not to see ourselves the way others see us. To Mallory, she’s just Mallory, not exactly ordinary, but… So, I liked in that final chapter we finally see Mallory through Monk’s eyes, and we realise why he loves her so much. That was such a wonderful chapter to write to see how he sees her and how he perceives himself. This incredibly charismatic guy who doesn’t put a foot wrong and (all he wants) is to have this girl love him.
Were any characters hard to write?
Monk was very easy to write. But Hannah (in Cairo) was very difficult. I had so much trouble with her, and it’s partly because she’s hiding so much hurt. She doesn’t want other characters to get close to the real her, the way she didn’t want me to get close to her. She had a first love in Hungary, then she goes through WWII and undergoes some pretty difficult things. My editor made me take a few things out. Remember this is a summer book. So, I left a few things unspoken at the end of the war. But once I got that about her and what she is looking for in Lucien, once I peeled back all those protective layers that she’s got around her, then writing her became much easier.
Happy End of Summer!
August, 2024
