Looking for a new read? We were excited to hear that New York Times bestselling author, Mary Beth Keane has recently had her debut novel The Walking People published in the UK for the first time. We caught up with Mary Beth Keane for a virtual interview.

The Walking People is a beautifully written family drama spanning decades, which explores themes of identity, love, and what it means to call a place home.

It follows the story of shy Greta Cahill, who – to her surprise – decides to leave her home in the rural west coast of Ireland for New York City, following her headstrong and fearless sister Johanna. In New York, she is able to step out of her sister’s shadow and into a life of her own, rich with love, work and family. As the years pass, Greta longs to revisit the past, and show her mother what she has made of herself. But there’s a family secret that she’s been protecting for decades - and if it comes out, Greta fears she could lose everything . . .

Hi Mary Beth, it's great to hear that The Walking People is out in the UK! Tell us where the book’s title comes from?

The title is the literal English translation of An Lucht Siúil, the phrase that means “Travellers” in the Irish language. It’s a reference to Michael, who is part of the Traveller community, but more broadly it refers to Greta, too. To all the characters, really, and how far they travel in their lives.

Born to Irish parents, how did your own background influence the book?

This was my first book and I’m now writing my fourth, so it’s been interesting to go back and remember what I was thinking about when I was not yet 30 years old. In some ways I can recognize what drove me to write The Walking People more clearly now. There’s so much of my parents in this, even though it’s a total fiction. The process of researching and writing this novel was a way to get closer to understanding what my parents went through emigrating from Ireland, all they left behind, and how radically different life was here in New York. I think a lot of my writing comes from straddling worlds of culture and class. I’m Irish but I’m American. I’m a child of the working class, but what am I now with this education and a bunch of other fancy stuff on my CV. How long can we claim something we’re not before we have to move on and simply BE something else?

Is writing something you’ve always wanted to pursue?

I’ve always written. I was writing stories when I could barely write at all. But I didn’t know until college that “writer” was something a person like me could be when she grew up.

What’s your writing routine? Any tips for keeping motivated?

My routine changes every few years, depending on where I am in my life. When Covid-19 swept the world I had finally set up a nice structure for myself. My children were in full time school, more or less self-sufficient. I didn’t have that toddler-chasing exhaustion. When they were little I wrote anywhere – in my car, at the kitchen counter, in the middle of the night. By early 2020 I could send them off to school and write at a desk like a civilized person for several hours before they came home. But now everyone’s been home for a year, including my husband, so it’s been difficult. I find myself reverting to old strategies, like a 5am wake up to get words to paper before my phone starts dinging and someone asks for a snack.

 

Have you got any advice for aspiring writers looking to start their first book?

Yes, my advice is to just write. Let it be ugly. All of that can change in revisions. Just get it out, that’s the hard part. Don’t panic if it’s not the way you imagined right off the bat.

What’s next for you in terms of writing, is there another book in the pipeline?

Yes! I’m writing a new novel, titled The Half Moon. I’m hoping to be finished before the end of 2021.

Outside of your work, what else is keeping you busy at the moment?

Mostly my sons, who are still only in school in person two days per week. My elderly parents live next door and they need quite a bit of help too. I’m trying to write and make sure everyone has what they need and that no one in my life is feeling too alone during this brutally lonely year. Hoping this will all be behind us very soon.

 

Will you be adding The Walking People to your reading list? Don't forget to shop our Book Lovers Edit too for literary inspired styles!