 |  | | | Edna O'Brien | 29 September 2006 | | |
The Irish novelist Edna O'Brien was always fascinated by her mother's early life. Her latest novel The Light of Evening is inspired by her mother's story and is a fictional exploration of love, estrangement and loss.
She knew that her mother had emigrated to America at the age of 17, but that she had not enjoyed the American dream and had quickly returned to rural Ireland. As a young woman, Edna O'Brien followed her mother and escaped from Ireland, but to pursue her writing - and she has stayed away rather longer.
Her latest novel centres on the anticipated return of the daughter to see her dying mother. And she explores the memories and unspoken feelings that dominate a final encounter.
Martha talks to Edna O'Brien about the complex relationship between mothers and daughters.
The Light of Evening by Edna O'Brien is published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson ISBN: 0297851330
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