As you lie back on picnic blanket or lounge, ready for an exciting summer read, can you picture yourself on the rugged but beautiful coast of rural England? Novelist Lucy Foley, who has become a reliable fixture on national best-seller lists, is ready to transport you there with her newest thriller.
LEO chatted with the author -- who will visit Louisville later this month -- to discuss the life events that inspired pieces of her new work.
Maybe you’d like to be at the setting for this novel—or so it might seem, at first. Foley has written in the tradition of locked-room whodunits, but with “The Midnight Feast” she’s opening up environs that are their own deeply involving character. This includes a woods-and-waters resort that’s been built up from the remains of a private family mansion. It once held quiet the secrets of local gentry who exploited the region’s townies and farmers. Now it’s been passed to a generation that wants to fashion a sumptuous showcase for New Age health and spirit—while they reap the bling and lucre that will surely follow along.
As moments tick down to the grand opening of “The Manor,” shadows flicker in the periphery as surmised by the resort’s chief visionary. Some of these peculiarities also appear to staff and guests—but that fact might be related to a complex web of events that drew certain individuals to this place for more than just a paycheck or vacation. And early on there’s the revelation of a body in the water—found by local fishermen and maybe connected to compelling dark local lore.
Author Foley rapidly shifts point-of-view, but she earns trust via clever twists and vivid detail. Rapt attention will be rewarded as you follow an accrual of tragic circumstances—and what seemed like coincidence will turn toward rough justice.
LEO recently exchanged emails with the author, who shared comments about what her life and her literary preferences brought to the table for “The Midnight Feast.” When asked whether she’s had a personal transformation like the several that ratchet up plot tension (the accomplished architect arose from humiliation as a youth; an embittered guest seeks a cathartic revenge), Foley says “perhaps the most transformative recent transfer I’ve gone through is becoming a parent. It’s simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding thing: glorious, painful, overwhelming. It makes you very aware of your own mortality and of what you want to pass on to your children.”
Settings and subjects from Dame Daphne Du Maurier’s tales seems to hover over the new Foley novel. She gladly admits it, and then some: “I’m always inspired by Du Maurier and particularly by “Rebecca” in this book—the idea of the large country estate being like a character in itself, its walls enclosing a secret history to be discovered. But also “Jamaica Inn” in terms of the hotel aspect, the local characters, and the strange and secretive goings on in an out-of-the-way place.”
Regarding favorites among her characters, Foley cites the resourceful Eddie, who is “kitchen help and general dogsbody”—but he will eventually serve a pivotal role as confrontations escalate to a climax. The author adds, “I also had such fun writing Francesca, the owner of the hotel, and sending up all things ‘Wellness Goddess’ in the process. Her voice was way too easy to write!”
Thursday, June 20, 7 p.m. at Clifton Center (2117 Payne St.), Lucy Foley will be in conversation with podcast host Anne Bogel. Tickets are $30, which includes book copy. Purchase in advance by following link in the Events page of www.carmichaelsbookstore.com.
Book Preview Come Join this Authors Feast Author Lucy Fole
