Carys Bray on walking away from her Mormon faith and (sort of) predicting the pandemic

What a fascinating life Carys has led. Brought up in a strict Mormon family in Southport, she was married by 20, and had five children within seven years before deciding to leave behind her faith and study creative writing. Her first novel, 2014’s A Song for Issy Bradley, won widespread acclaim and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel. Since then, she has published two other novels - including the recently published When the Lights Go Out. Its timing is uncanny, as a couple grapple with stockpiling, mortality, family and more. I loved talking to her about this, and am so grateful for her openness discussing her upbringing and how the tragic death of her daughter shaped her desire to examine grief in fiction. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By the book here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/when-the-lights-go-out/carys-bray/9781786332349 Twitter: @carysbray / @aliceazania Edited by Chelsey Moore