Guest post written by author Ella Berman
Ella Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky. Before We Were Innocent releases on July 13th.
In my novel, Before We Were Innocent, best friends Bess and Joni’s dream vacation in Greece ends in tragedy when their friend Evangeline dies under suspicious circumstance. For the next six months, the girls are trapped in limbo, waiting to be judged not only for that night but for their entire lives leading up to it as young, imperfect women. Now, ten years later, the past threatens to catch up with them both when Joni appears on Bess’s doorstep, asking for one simple favour.
When writing, I was inspired (and incensed) by many things – the fierce friendships of our youth, the way women are vilified in the media, the myth of the perfect victim, the intersection between love and cruelty – and these five books all set something different alight in me.
Some inspired me with the beautiful (and complex) friendships at their core, others in their portrayal of the relationship between beauty and ugliness, and a couple are masterful at depicting uncannily idyllic locations that make the perfect settings for the slow-building tension I wanted to unfold in my own book.
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
“Summer Sisters” explores the friendship between two girls, Victoria Leonard and Caitlin Somers, over the course of summers spent together in Martha’s Vineyard. Over the decades, the young women’s friendship is tested by insecurities, envy, secrets and heartbreak as reality steadily makes its way into their secret summer world. The story encapsulates the enduring power of the friendships forged during our youth, and the impact these can have on our lives long after they have ended.
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam
Amanda and Clay take their teenage kids on vacation to a luxurious rental in an isolated part of Long Island but their reverie is interrupted by a knock at the front door one night. The older couple who owns the home have arrived with the startling news that a blackout has hit the city, and Amanda and Clay have to decide whether they can trust these strangers or if something more sinister is at play. As more disturbing events unfold around them, the characters are faced with difficult decisions about their fate, and the fate of the world at large. A powerful and propulsive book that examines race, privilege and trust, and an authorial masterclass in building tension.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
In this novella (written when Sagan was only nineteen!) precocious teen Cecile spends the summer in the idyllic south of France, left mostly to her own devices by her philandering father and his current girlfriend. When her godmother, Anne, arrives the dynamic shifts with tragic consequences. A coming-of-age story with a rotten core, set in a locale so perfectly-rendered you can feel the sun on your skin as you read it. The inevitability of the ending creeps up on you and makes this book impossible to forget.
The Girls from Corona Del Mar by Rufi Thorpe
This evocative debut novel revolves around the lifelong friendship between Mia and Lorrie Ann, two girls who grew up in the coastal town of Corona del Mar, California. As the years pass and their paths drastically diverge, Lorrie-Ann is never far from Mia’s mind. It’s a beautiful elegy to friendship and loss as Thorpe explores female friendship in a way that feels powerful and raw but always familiar.
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
In Saint X, Claire’s older sister Alison dies during a family vacation on a fictional Caribbean island, bringing a violent end to her family’s easy life of privilege. Two hotel employees are arrested for Alison’s murder before being released, and the death irrevocably changes the course of their lives too. Now an adult herself living in New York City, Claire tries to unravel the tragedy that shaped her and, after a chance encounter with one of the released men, she ingratiates herself into his new life as she searches for answers. This razor-sharp debut offers a raw look at tragedy and grief, privilege and race, and human connection.
