Contemporary Women’s fiction/ Reading Group fiction
Release Date: 23/4/2015
Publisher: SilverWood
Passionate,
free-spirited Deborah has finally found peace and a fulfilling relationship in
her adopted city of Granada - but when she is seriously injured in the Madrid
train bombings of 2004, it is her sister Alice who is forced to face the
consequences of a deception they have maintained for ten years. At Deborah's
home in Granada, Alice waits, ever more fearful. Will her sister live or die?
And how long should she stay when each day brings the risk of what she most
dreads, a confrontation with Deborah's Moroccan ex-lover, Hassan? At stake is
all she holds dear... '
Secrets of the
Pomegranate deals with topical themes such as
inter-cultural relationships and the moral dilemmas around truth and lies –
whether personal or political. It explores, with compassion, sensitivity and -
despite the tragic events - humour, the complicated ties between sisters, between
mothers and sons and between lovers, set against a background of cultural
difference and prejudices rooted in Granada's long history of Muslim-Christian
struggles for power.
“Lamplugh does a great job of unveiling a little at a time – but
still maintaining tension until the surprise of the final revelation.” Rebecca
Foster, Bookbag
Buy Links
About the Author
Barbara Lamplugh
has been writing since the 1970s. Her love of adventure and travel took her
first on an overland journey to Kathmandu, which inspired her to write Kathmandu by
Truck (1976) and then on the Trans-Siberian railway, by boat to Japan
and around SE Asia, which led to her second book, Trans-Siberia
by Rail (1979). Becoming a mother put a stop to such long travels but
not to writing. She turned instead to fiction, inspired by the often
fascinating and unexpected stories of ordinary people she came across in her
work in the community. She also wrote occasional articles for magazines and
newspapers, including The Guardian
and Times Educational Supplement. In
1999, with her two children now independent, she moved to Granada in Spain,
where Secrets
of the Pomegranate is set. Her encounters and experiences of life in
Granada provide her with abundant inspiration. For several years she worked as
a features writer for Living Spain
magazine, contributing around a hundred articles on topics ranging from Olive
Oil to Machismo to Spanish names. Alongside her writing, she teaches English,
edits and translates. With two children and five grandchildren in the UK, she
makes regular visits there. Other passions include cycling, dancing, travel,
jazz and reading.
INTERVIEW
Where are you from?
London originally but I lived in Shropshire
for many years before moving to Granada, Spain in 1999.
Tell us your latest news.
Secrets of the Pomegranate has been chosen by an Essex reading group for discussion at one of
their monthly meetings this autumn. A Skype connection will enable members to
ask me questions about the book. I’d be delighted to do the same for other
reading groups, wherever they’re based.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
After the publication of my first book, Kathmandu
by Truck in 1976.
What inspired you to write your first book?
This book described a life-changing
overland journey from London in a converted fire-engine, spending time in
countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, before crossing into
Nepal. I hadn’t planned to write a book about it and didn’t even take any
notes, but after returning, I felt so inspired by my experiences and encounters
with people, I felt I had to share them; writing about the journey was a way of
reliving it.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I’m not conscious of a specific style. I
think it depends on the kind of book (or other medium, eg magazine); on whether
it’s a travel book, a novel, or whatever. If I’m writing in the first person or
even in the third person from a particular character’s point of view, that will
dictate the writing style. For example in Secrets of the Pomegranate, those
parts written from Mark’s point of view have a very different style from
Deborah’s diary excerpts or Alice’s narrative.
How did you come up with the title?
The
Spanish word for pomegranate is granada
and although that’s not what gave the city its name, it is used as a symbol so
you see pomegranates everywhere – not only the real ones growing in the area
but also on the pottery, for example. Pomegranate designs are commonly used to
decorate the glazed ceramic tiles, flower pots, bowls and so on,typical of
Granada.They also feature on manhole covers, traffic bollards and street signs.
So for a story about secrets set in Granada it seemed an apt title. Also, the
pomegranate features in the myths and superstitions of many religions and
cultures. According to the Qu’ran, it grows in the gardens of paradise. It can
signify fertility, abundance, blood, sex and resurrection, amongst other things. Some
of these meanings are relevant to the story. And there is a pomegranate tree in
Deborah’s garden.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
That because we share a common humanity, we
have the capacity to understand and accept others, whatever their differences
of culture, class, sex, age, religion, etc. if we only open our minds. We all
have weaknesses and qualities to be admired. Another message is the importance
of living every day as if it were the last, of not putting things off, because
life can change in an instant. Also, we can never quite predict the
consequences of our actions.
How much of the book is realistic?
Although the story of the sisters and their
secret is fictional, the setting and background events are absolutely real and
readers have commented that my characters are ‘real people’ in the sense of
being believable.
Are experiences based on someone you know
or events in your own life?
The experience of moving to Granada is
loosely based on my own but Deborah made the move more than a decade earlier
and came with her baby son whereas I came alone. Her character and the events
that mark her life in Granada are not based on mine nor on those of anyone I
know. I’ve never had a relationship with a Moroccan and neither is there a
‘Paco’ in my life (unfortunately!)
What books have most influenced your life?
Swallows
and Amazons (Arthur Ransome), As I walked out one Midsummer Morning (Laurie Lee), Braided Lives (Marge Piercy) and The Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing).
If you had to choose, which writer would
you consider a mentor?
Rose Tremain. I so admire her ability to
take you into the geographically and historically diverse worlds of her
characters and make you feel totally involved almost from the beginning.
What book are you reading now?
A book of short stories by Jane Rogers, Hitting Trees with Sticks. The
characters and settings of the stories are very varied but in all of them she
displays an acute understanding of human nature, of what makes people tick, and
conveys it within the tight framework of a short story.
Are there any new authors that have grabbed
your interest?
Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner; A
Thousand Splendid Suns) for his skill as a story-teller; Rana Dasgupta (Capital: The Eruption of Delhi) and
Katharine Boo (Beyond the Beautiful
Forevers) for their writing on 21st century India. I’m about to
start reading Jessie Burton’s debut novel, The Miniaturist.
What are your current projects?
I’ve been researching for a new novel, also set in Spain and spanning three
generations of women. It starts with a British nurse who goes out to Spain at
the beginning of the Civil War and falls in love with a Spanish Republican
fighter. I’ve been reading widely and interviewing older Spanish people about
life during the posguerra, the 1940s, 50s and 60s under Franco’s
dictatorship. It’s proving fascinating and often heart-breaking. I’m raring to
get started on the actual writing.
What would you like my readers to know?
Secrets
of the Pomegranate is not my first novel. I’ve
completed six others over a period of at least thirty years, though none of
them has been published. One, Diary of a
Wrinkly Rebel, came very close, but in those days (early 90s) no one wanted
to read about old people (or so I was told). Another, Staying Mum, is about a woman who steals a baby and gets away with
it – until the girl, aged 15 when the novel opens, becomes curious about her
origins… Despite all the rejections, I have
persisted and can’t see myself ever ‘retiring’. Writing is addictive.
Author Links
GIVEAWAY
A SIGNED COPY OF THE
BOOK (Open Internationally)
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