Almost Life

What inspired Kiran Millwood Hargrave to write a queer love story set across several decades?

While Kiran Millwood Hargrave has not publicly detailed specific inspirations for Almost Life, this represents a significant departure from her previous adult novel, The Mercies, which was set in 17th-century Norway. This contemporary work exploring a same-sex relationship from the late 1970s onwards allows Hargrave to examine how LGBTQ+ lives and relationships have evolved through changing social and legal landscapes over nearly half a century. The choice to begin the story in 1978 Paris is particularly meaningful, as it predates many of the legal protections and social acceptance that would gradually emerge in subsequent decades.

How does Almost Life differ from Kiran Millwood Hargrave's previous work for adult readers?

Almost Life marks a notable shift in both setting and scope from Hargrave's debut adult novel, The Mercies. Whilst The Mercies was a historical novel set in a remote 17th-century Norwegian island community, Almost Life is a contemporary romance spanning multiple decades from 1978 onwards, following two women across their lifetimes. This new work also represents Hargrave's first exploration of a queer love story in her adult fiction, demonstrating her range as a writer beyond the historical and atmospheric storytelling that characterised her award-winning debut.

Is Almost Life suitable for readers who primarily know Kiran Millwood Hargrave from her children's books?

Readers familiar with Hargrave's acclaimed children's novels like The Girl of Ink & Stars should be aware that Almost Life is written specifically for adult audiences and explores mature themes including adult relationships, sexuality, infidelity, and the complex emotional terrain of a decades-long love affair. Whilst Hargrave's lyrical prose style may be recognisable from her younger fiction, the subject matter, emotional depth, and treatment of adult experiences make this firmly a novel for grown-up readers. Parents should note this is not appropriate for the middle-grade audience that enjoys her children's work.

What makes the Paris setting of 1978 significant for the opening of this story?

The choice of Paris in 1978 as the meeting point for Erica and Laure is laden with historical and cultural significance for a queer love story. Paris has long been associated with artistic freedom, bohemian culture, and greater acceptance of unconventional relationships, making it an ideal backdrop for a transformative first encounter. The late 1970s was also a pivotal moment before the AIDS crisis would devastate LGBTQ+ communities in the 1980s, and before many of the legal rights and protections we associate with modern queer life existed, setting up the political and personal changes the characters will navigate across the decades.

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