"I want to write a story about a girl who falls in love with a house."
—Elisabeth Thomas on writing Catherine House
On this week's episode of The Library Love Fest Podcast we sat down with William Morrow Executive Editor Jessica Williams and Elisabeth Thomas, author of Catherine House.
Catherine House is a gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students…and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.
Be sure to listen to the podcast episode below to hear them discuss Elisabeth's inspiration for this novel, including an early love of gothic novels like Rebecca and Jane Eyre. They also talk about the house in the novel becoming a character in the story and how she wanted to write diverse characters in a novel in which race isn't the main conflict.
Find a letter from the editor here and a behind-the-book essay from Elisabeth here.
In the episode, Elisabeth spoke about her grandfather's class at Yale. She shared a photo with us of his Glee Club from 1953:
Hope you enjoyed the episode. Be sure to request the egalley from Edelweiss+ and let us know on social: Would you go to Catherine House?
-Lainey