We chat with author E. Lockhart about The Pools, which is a love story full of simmering darkness and astonishing twists, following two teenagers whose lives are shattered by a shocking transformation.
Hi, Emily! Welcome back! What have you been up to this past year since we last spoke for the release of We Fell Apart?
Lots of imagination hijinks — screenplay and TV adaptations of my own and other people’s books, writing a novel Nancy Drew as an adult (together with Sarah Mlynowski), plus some secret stuff.
Your latest novel, The Pools, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Beware of the sulpherous water.
What can readers expect?
First love with a terrible obstacle. A playful style of narration. A town known for its thermal springs.
Where did the inspiration for The Pools come from?
I started with the setting — a town where there are hot springs and people go to them all the time — like they would go to a community center or a playground or a park. Then I asked myself, what is the worst thing that could happen at the pools?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are some scenes where four people are talking, and each character gets a separate column. Those were very fun to write! And the relationship between Lexie (she’s new to the town, shares a bedroom with her mom and sister, and has an unusual past she’s running from) and Chester (he’s born and raised in this town, a golden boy with secrets of his own) — they fall madly in love right from the jump and I had a great time writing that heady first fall.
The Pools explores grief, identity, sacrifice, and mental health throughout the story. How did you approach finding the right balance and creating that emotional impact without making the themes feel overwhelming or forced?
Most of the themes are explored through a big metaphor — the huge thing that happens in the thermal pools, and that metaphor is open to interpretation.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I started this book a few years ago and then put it to the side for a while. When I came back to it, I didn’t know what happened in the second half. Figuring out how my characters would try to solve the terrible problem I had created for them — that was really hard.
What do you hope readers might take away from The Pools?
It’s a love story — there are sad and shocking parts, but I think fundamentally love stories are hopeful. Love is beautiful.
What’s next for you?
I’m doing a bunch of book events for The Pools, including YallFest and The Boston Book Festival, plus some bookstores in NJ and New York. I love meeting readers, so people should come out and say hi!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I have been tracking my reading on StoryGraph this year, and I love that I can just quickly look up my recent reads! Taffy Brodesser-Ackner’s Long Island Compromise is not for the faint of heart and really not YA, but she is just a brilliant storyteller. I loved Jaclyn Moriarty’s Time Travel for Beginners, Steven Rowley’s The Guncle, Ilona Bannister’s Five.
