I Guess There's A Sort Of Cycle

Sometimes I Look Back And I Am Shocked. Everyday Of My Life I Have Prepared For Success, Worked For It, Waited For It, And You Don't Notice How The Days Pass Until Nearly A Lifetime Is Finished. Then It Hits You--the Thing You Have Been Waiting For Has Already Gone By. And It Was Going In The Other Direction. It's Like I've Been Waiting On The Wrong Side Of The Road For A Bus That Was Already Full." P. 265

I Was Always An Outsider, Always Standing Outside, Observing And Trying To Figure Things Out. Which Is Exactly What You Need To Do As A Writer, I Suppose.

I Always Try To Create Conflict And Drama In My Books; It's The Engine Of The Novel.

I Started Writing 'brick Lane' When My Children Were Two Years And Five Months Old. We Were On Holiday In The North Of England When I Was Overtaken By A Compulsion To Start Writing.

You Know How If You're Born In A Certain Situation You Always Expect Your Life To Run On A Steady Trajectory? I've Never Really Had A Sense Of That. I Assume That Life Is Going To Go Up And Down.