Edel Coffey: ‘We live in a very voyeuristic world … I wonder what that might be doing to our sense of contentment’

Tell me about your new novel, In Her Place.

In Her Place tells the story of Ann, who is grieving the death of her mother and down on her luck in New York. When she meets wealthy Justin, they begin an intense relationship. Just one snag — Justin is married, and when his dying wife unexpectedly recovers, Ann is faced with a dilemma ... who is the other woman in this situation?

Do you take inspiration from your own life for your fiction?

I don’t write from an autobiographical place but I do like to write about paths not taken. In writing fiction, I walk to the outer edge of my own life and then jump off to see what’s over the cliff. That’s usually where I find my novels.

In Her Place explores envy and covetousness. Why did you want to write about that?

We live in a very voyeuristic world now where we are constantly looking at what other people have and comparing how we measure up. I wonder what that might be doing to our sense of contentment.

In Her Place and your first book, Breaking Point, both look at class and entitlement. Why is that a subject you return to?

I’m obsessed with class and how it affects our lives, how malleable it can be. I’m intrigued by the lazy assumptions people make based on what handbag you might carry – just look at the story of the fake heiress Anna Delvey.

[ Breaking Point: A bestseller that conveys grief beautifully ]

Your books have been dubbed ‘dilemma fiction’. Would you agree? Why do you like to write about a central emotional predicament?

I love writing about ethical dilemmas, not least because they act as an internal engine that powers the book along (I like fast-paced books), but also because I like watching how people behave when you put them under pressure.

You write about many of the pressures to conform that women face: in beauty standards, relationships, careers and as mothers. Why is that?

I’m frustrated by the restrictions modern womanhood tries to exert on my life. I like to use these impositions as target practice in my novels.

Has your background as an arts journalist and book reviewer helped your writing?

I’ve always been an omnivorous reader but book reviewing certainly opened me up to the unexpected joys of different genres. Journalism gave me the discipline of writing quickly and to deadline.

Which projects are you working on?

I’m working on book three. It’s in a very loose, nascent state, which is probably the most enjoyable part of writing for me. Anything could happen!

Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?

No, I generally don’t care to touch the pen of the writers I admire. I prefer to read their books.

What is the best writing advice you have heard?

All art is abandoned. Finish it and move on to the next thing.

Who do you admire the most?

I admire the writer Katriona O’Sullivan, whose memoir Poor gives a radical insight into what we can achieve when given the right supports and opportunities.

You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?

I’d introduce a basic universal wage for everyone and free childcare, which would give people more choices about the kind of lives they want to lead.

Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?

The Chain by Chimene Suleyman is a jaw-dropping memoir about modern love; the film Anatomy of a Fall lives rent-free in my head; and I really enjoyed the New York Times/Serial podcast The Retrievals.

Which public event affected you most?

The passing of gay marriage in 2015 made me incredibly proud to be Irish. I cried with joy.

The most remarkable place you have visited?

I love Paris’s magical energy; it completely unleashes my imagination.

Your most treasured possession?

I’m not materialistic but I am very attached to my notebooks, probably because they allow me to see myself at different times in my life and gain some perspective on difficult times — all things eventually pass.

What is the most beautiful book that you own?

I love my collection of Winter Papers, Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith’s literary annuals.

Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I’d invite Jackie Collins. I was lucky enough to have dinner with her once and her real-life stories were even better than her novels. I’d also invite Hilary Mantel for her wicked humour, Martin Amis to start a fight, Leila Slimani to start a French intellectual debate and Galway writer Elaine Feeney, whose personality would make the night a resounding success.

The best and worst things about where you live?

I live by the sea in Galway and I love how the Atlantic air feels like it wipes the slate clean every day. The worst thing is it’s a long way from my family and friends in Dublin.

What is your favourite quotation?

It’s a toss-up between “Everything is Going to be all right” by Derek Mahon, from his poem of the same name and “listen I love you joy is coming” from Kim Addonizio’s poem To The Woman Crying Uncontrollably in the Next Stall. Both give me a lot of heart in tough times.

Who is your favourite fictional character?

There are so many but I dearly love Edith Wharton’s Lily Bart in The House Of Mirth. I just wish she could have been a little more calculating for her own sake.

A book to make me laugh?

I always gift Heartburn by Nora Ephron. It’s a perfect book about a marriage break-up that works for the broken-hearted, the newly in-love, the grieving, the lonely, the bored or distracted.

A book that might move me to tears?

A Handful Of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. They had to soften the ending for the American market when it was first published because it was considered too cruel. And it is!

In Her Place is published by Sphere