Amanda Craig interviewed Suzi Feay

Novelist and critic Amanda Craig talks about her new work, The Three Graces, a story of how the realities of modern life intrude on a Tuscan spring.

Events are sparked by Enzo’s shooting of an undocumented migrant from his bedroom window. They embroil a host of characters, including his elderly neighbours, Ruth, Diana and Marta. Ruth’s grandson Olly is about to marry Tania, who is distracted by her vlogging on social media. Marta, who is unwell, is preparing a music recital sponsored by an oligarch hiding from Putin, while her grandson Xan rails against the inequalities he encounters. Diana, meanwhile, is nursing her husband, Lord Evenlode, who has dementia. All of them face challenging choices and grapple with their past and with present dangers.

‘I revelled in The Three Graces – such an intriguing cast, so convincingly presented, and a narrative that continually surprises’ Penelope Lively

Craig’s work has been compared to Dickens, Trollope, Balzac and Evelyn Waugh. Her novels include A Private Place, A Vicious Circle, In a Dark Wood, Love in Idleness, Hearts and Minds and The Lie Of the Land. Here she talks to FT critic Suzi Feay.