Carys Bray was awarded the Scott Prize for her debut short-story collection, Sweet Home. Her first novel, A Song for Issy Bradley, was chosen for Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and winner of the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2015. She lives in Southport with her husband and four children and today she tells us a bit more about the writer behind the books.
Carys Bray by Colin McPherson
Although I love to meet readers in person and chat, writing this list is an uncomfortable endeavour. I an introvert and like to spend lots of time by myself reading, writing and thinking. I’m quite content for people to know very little about me.
The Museum of You is set during the summer holidays. One of my favourite things about the summer holidays is our family tradition of doing ‘Come Dine With Me’ as per the TV show. In the summer of 2016 I got the lowest score and I’m still sore about it (my apricot and walnut bread was out of this world!). 2017 is all about the comeback. I am already making plans…
I have an allotment and, like the allotment in the novel, mine has thickets of raspberries at its end. The raspberries are as big as thimbles; you can stick them on your fingertips – I’ve never seen raspberries like them in a supermarket.
Like Darren in The Museum of You, I love cuckoo clocks. My husband knew I had always wanted one and bought me one for Christmas a few years ago. When I saw the German writing on the box I thought he had bought me an enormous stash of lebkuchen which would have been amazing, however the fact that it was a cuckoo clock was even better.
When I was younger, one of my little sisters had a friend called Clover. I always thought it was a beautiful name and considered using it when my daughter was born. However, my husband grew up on a farm and, to him, Clover was a cow’s name and he didn’t want to use it. I used the name in The Museum of You, instead.
While I was writing The Museum of You I learned to play the ukulele. I planned to play and sing ‘Here Comes the Sun’ at readings and events.
I didn’t play at any events because I was very unhappy during 2016 and didn’t feel like singing cheerful songs. Here’s to happier times ahead (and to more ukulele lessons, perhaps, as I have since forgotten pretty much everything I learned).
Anne Tyler is one of my favourite novelists. There was a moment in A Spool of Blue Thread that was so satisfying it made me gasp aloud.
My grandmother had a notebook in which she used to record funny things she overheard. She particularly enjoyed linguistic mistakes. Some of these mistakes made their way into The Museum of You via the well-intentioned mouth of Darren and Clover’s next door neighbour, Mrs Mackerel.
My grandmother used to say that sitting on cold walls or warm radiators gives you piles. I have intrepidly done both (you’re welcome), and it doesn’t.
The Museum of You by Carys Bray is published on 6 April by Windmill Books £7.99