Although she has written three books of nonfiction, Geraldine Brooks is best known as an author of historical fiction. But her brand of historical fiction has a way of enriching stories that are already familiar to readers, taking us along as she traces the spread of the bubonic plague to a small English village, or discovers the history of a 15th century Haggadah through the eyes of a book conservator, or as she follows the absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women to the battlefields of the Civil War. (She won a Pulitzer for that one.)
I recently spoke with Brooks about her latest novel, The Secret Chord, a reimagined story of King David. Most of us have heard his story; at the very least we are aware of his run-in with Goliath. But in this version, David’s story is brought to life as it was documented and told through the voice of a lesser-known prophet, Nathan.
Here’s our conversation:
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The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks was published by Viking.
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