Meredith Westgate
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate
Author of The Shimmering State
Lucien and Sophie meet in recovery at a rehabilitation center, after an experimental memory drug warps their lives. They have no memory of how they got there, or why they feel so inexplicably drawn to one another — is it attraction, or something they cannot remember from “before”? Set in Los Angeles, a city that seems to have no memory of its own, The Shimmering State is an exploration of memory and how it can elude us, trap us, or even set us free.
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate
Author I draw inspiration from: Reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison in high school first made me want to study literature. I was and still am just in awe of her craft. Years later, Renata Adler’s Speedboat and Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being changed how I saw fiction. I also deeply admire George Saunders, Hanya Yanagihara, Elif Batuman, Sigrid Nunez. Their way with perspective and tone immediately sets you inside their characters’ worlds, and they break open interiority to feel as if your own.
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: I love the uninterruption of a flight. Escaping into a book while on any kind of public transportation always feels like magic. Though let’s be honest, on a beach, skin dripping with salt water, when your greatest challenge is keeping the pages dry—I’ll take that, any day.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: That's a hard one, most of my favorite characters are probably not people I'd like to be stuck in an elevator with! Maybe Millie from Hallie Butler's The New Me.
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I was always creating stories, alone in my room or running around outside, losing track of time. Over Thanksgiving, I’d arrange plays in the basement and make my younger cousins star in them for the rest of our relatives. Looking back, they were pretty dark!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love the excitement of getting a hardcover right after it’s published. But I also like to carry books with me everywhere, so paperbacks are my best friend. There’s something intimate about a paperback.
The last book I read: I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Kyle Lucia Wu’s debut, Win Me Something, that comes out in November from Tin House. It’s beautiful, perceptive, and tender.
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer when I need speed — mostly because I have terrible, unwieldy handwriting. (I’m a lefty!) Pen and paper whenever I’m feeling stuck.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Selin from Elif Batuman’s The Idiot.
Author Interview - Meredith Westgate | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: A marine biologist! I’d love for that to find its way into a book one day so I can do a deep dive (sorry) into research and pretend it's my job for a bit. One of the best things about writing is that you have the opportunity to expand on so many interests and alternate careers. I also love restaurants — food is generally all I think about, but I also love the energy of a restaurant, the design. I loved (and miss) working in a restaurant.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1920’s for the drop waist, the glamour. But I also love the 1970s. And the ‘90s — that's the one I remember, so it'll always have my heart.
Place I’d most like to travel: Japan has been at the top of my list for a while. I can’t wait to get back to Mexico City, and to visit Oaxaca.
My signature drink: A dirty martini with really good olives
Favorite artist: Ursula von Rydingsvard, Helen Frankenthaler, Alexander Archipenko, Isamu Noguchi, Gregory Crewdson
Number one on my bucket list: I'm not sure I've ever had a bucket list. After this year (plus), just being with friends and family again has felt like enough. My partner and I had to cancel our wedding in May 2020 and exchanged vows just the two of us, so getting to properly celebrate with our loved ones one day soon.
Anything else you'd like to add: Thank you so much for reading my book! On second thought, being able to say that was at the top of my bucket list for many years.
Find more from the author:
My Instagram is @meredithwestgate
Author Bio: Meredith Westgate is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MFA in Fiction from The New School. She grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and currently lives in Brooklyn. The Shimmering State is her first novel.
