Posted on October 22, 2018 at 9:36 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Sarah Perry’s new novel, Melmoth, draws influence from classics of all kinds.
There are other novels, by Charles Maturin and Honoré de Balzac, that also star a creature known as Melmoth the Witness, who has been damned to wander Earth while witnessing humanity at its worst.
But Perry also took inspiration from Frankenstein: namely, that story’s theme of being born innocent but made monstrous by the world.
Add in an element of mystery — what crime or misstep is the story’s main character, Helen, atoning for? — and you have a most entertaining interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Listen to Perry and Scott Simon chat below or read the transcript on NPR’s website.
Categories: Author Interview