Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, and The Presence of Absence

In this episode 348, we have a special double feature with two author interviews. First we talk to author and true crime podcaster Andrea Dunlop about Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, which New York Times bestselling author Tara Conklin called “a stylish, timely, buzz-worthy literary thriller that I tore through with glee.” Then we feature acclaimed novelist and essayist Simon Van Booy and his novel The Presence of Absence, which Claire Fullerton, writing for the New York Journal of Books, called “a tour de force…a mind-bending, affecting story that breaks the heart open with startling clarity.”

Today’s Featured Authors

Andrea Dunlop Time Stamp: 3:42

Andrea Dunlop is the author of the novels Losing the Light, She Regrets Nothing, We Came Here to Forget, and the novella Broken Bay, and the host of the true crime podcast Nobody Should Believe Me.

In Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, the lives of three women in the wealthy enclaves of Seattle’s tech elite grow entangled as long-held secrets are forced to the surface, threatening to destroy their families. Written with razor-sharp intelligence and heart, this novel is a searing look at the complexities of family and the obstacles women navigate in every aspect of their existence.

Simon Van Booy Time Stamp: 40:44

Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children. He is the editor of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC. His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film.

In The Presence of Absence, as author Max Little grapples with a terminal illness, he recalls both the moving and ordinary moments of his life with his beloved wife Hadley, unsure of what lies ahead. The San Francisco Chronicle says “Simon Van Booy electrifyingly combines story with parable. The Presence of Absence boggles and reverberates: wise, witty and always breathtakingly beautiful.”

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