Ep 134: Crafting Complex Narratives with Lauren Oliver
If you’re the kind of person who devours psychological thrillers but also wants to be emotionally sucker-punched (in the best way), Lauren Oliver’s What Happened to Lucy Vale needs to be on your radar.
In this episode, Lauren takes us behind the scenes of what might be her most structurally daring novel to date. Set in a small Indiana town with a possibly-haunted house at its core, Lucy Vale unspools two eerie mysteries—one set in the past, one unraveling in real time—using both traditional storytelling and a collective “we” voice (think The Virgin Suicides meets Reddit sleuth thread).
This book took years to write, and when you hear how the pieces click into place, you’ll understand why.
Through this book, she challenges us to ask: What if we’re not always the hero in someone else’s story?
We also dive into Lauren’s writing journey, which is less “neat staircase to the top” and more “rollercoaster meets overgrown hiking trail.” She talks honestly about the pressure to stick to one genre, the heartbreak of writing books that don’t land, and the weird freedom in failure. “I’d rather have a diversified breaking of my heart,” she says.
So whether you’re obsessed with fresh storytelling formats, fascinated by how online culture is warping our real-life relationships, or just here for the haunted-house vibes, What Happened to Lucy Vale is a must-listen.
ABOUT LAUREN
Website: laurenoliverbooks.com
Instagram: @lauren_oliver_books
Books: laurenoliverbooks.com/books
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