After the death of J.D. Salinger, the Guardian book blog takes a look at the challenges facing authors creating a young narrator. Maria’s debut novel, How the Light Gets In gets a mention, with narrator Lou being described as
“a contemporary, female Holden, just as cynical and sensitive, but with less self-conscious verbiage”
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- A female Holden, just as cynical and sensitive, but with less self-conscious verbiage
- Video interview – Can creative writing be taught?
- Interview with Vulpes Libris
- Writing about killers – MJ Hyland and Jeff Lindsay talk about their work
- The Boston globe includes This is How in its ’simply the best’ fiction list of 2009
Some Reviews of This is How
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‘Darkly, sparsely and with sustained intensity…a devastating portrait of a mild mannered psychopath’ TLS
‘…extraordinary…a profound achievement…’ The Guardian
This is How is MJ Hyland's latest novel.
“A tour de force. Hyland illuminates this murderer’s damaged soul with such a steely, brilliant clarity that your heart breaks for him.” Helen Garner
^lsquo;Extraordinary....a profound achievement.^rsquo; The Guardian-
This is How
This is How is MJ Hyland's latest novel.
“A tour de force. Hyland illuminates this murderer’s damaged soul with such a steely, brilliant clarity that your heart breaks for him.”
Helen Garner
‘ Extraordinary....a profound achievement. ’
The Guardian -
Carry Me Down
“Carry Me Down is uncompromising, unputdownable and done with expert lightness. It’s a work of discreet brilliance. M.J. Hyland is a truly gifted writer.” Ali Smith
'Always riveting, always enticing, this is a novel-and a family-that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.'
Canberra Times -
How the light gets in
How the light gets in is MJ Hyland's critically acclaimed debut novel
“Moment by moment, Hyland nails the alternating excitement and embarrassment of being a teenager. . . . [She] is a talented writer grappling with serious questions about how we make our way through the world. . . . her efforts beat the hell out of tell-alls about manicures and designer jeans.”
Curtis Sittenfeld, New York Times Book Review
M.J. Hyland was born in London to Irish parents in 1968 and spent her early childhood in Dublin. She studied English and law at the University of Melbourne, Australia and worked as a lawyer for several years. Her first novel, How the Light Gets In (2003) ... Continue reading
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You can buy MJ Hyland's novels from the following online bookstores:
A female Holden, just as cynical and sensitive, but with less self-conscious verbiage
Tags: Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfied, J.D Salinger, Lou, Louise Connor
Posted in how the light gets in, on writing February 3rd, 2010
Video interview – Can creative writing be taught?
Tags: on writing novels, teaching creative writing, the wheeler centre, writing workshops
Posted in interviews, on writing January 26th, 2010
MJ Hyland’s short video interview with The Wheeler Centre on the
question of whether or not creative writing can be taught: