By focusing on similarities, Minot hoped to close the gap between her readers and her characters. In this objective, she was motivated by her own experience as a reader and her observations about what makes a book powerful. “When I’ve read other books, I’ve been variously moved by them—sometimes…emotionally, sometimes…intellectually,” she says. “I like to read books that make me feel connected to other people. So I think the pleasure that I take in books, I hope to offer any of those things to the reader.”

As Minot continued enunciating every word and elucidating every emotion in Esther’s narration, her desire to move her readers through her writing was more than evident. Using outlets of creative expression like writing is an innate response for Minot, and in her eyes, every person. “One is held to make things,” she says. “It seems to me a natural way to respond to the experience of life.” Passing on those different experiences is then all the more crucial. “To convey being alive is an important thing to share with each other,” she said.