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Vogue: I was so taken by the narrators obsession with cleanliness and hygiene.
Photo: Juliana Sohn
What has cleanliness meant to you as a literary framework?
As I continued writing, I understood that cleanliness is a metaphor for morality and also for control.
The fashion of this book deeply excited me.
How do you go about building a fictional closet for a woman with clearly refined tastes and minimal means?
Creating the characters wardrobe was one of the most fun parts of writing this novel.
I went imaginary shopping, browsing shops and websites.
Your protagonists relationship with her students is so unique.
How did you decide to place her in the particular world of education?
I have very mixed feelings about my novel coming out at this time.
Publishing a novel is a dream come true for me, but the joy is muted by grief.
Are there books that metaphorically held your hand as you prepared to release this one?
I was very inspired byThe Passion According to G.H.by Clarice Lispector.
After reading it, I wanted to try writing in wild mode, to just follow my intuition.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
