Keyes to Success
Marian Keyes may be a distinctive author - writing in a lighthearted way about such hard-hitting subjects as addiction, depression and homelessness - but she's also distinctive in her choice of car.
'Hopefully by next month I'll be driving my lime green Volkswagen Beetle,' she enthuses. 'I've a new one ordered from Grange Motors (Deansgrange) since last February, you know the remodelled shape,' explains Marian, 'cute and quirky!'
'Why lime green?' I ask. 'Colour was the most important thing about the Beetle.'
'In fact the aesthetics of a car are far more important to me than what speed it does or even how safe it is. I've no interest in driving fast or anything. For me it's all about colour.''In fact,' Marian continues, 'I wanted a purple Beetle but they don't do purple ones in Ireland (they do them in the States where I had first seen them) so I opted for lime green one instead, which is nearly as good. I actually would have preferred it to be pink but I thought I'd better settle down and anyway poor Tony (my husband) he'll have to get into it sometimes, and the thought of him driving around in a Barbie pink Beetle would be just the meanest thing...the lime green is lovely and bright and I opted for just three extras with it; sun roof; CD player and black leather seats.'
Her somewhat unusual choice of car shows the quirky, humorous side of Marian Keyes that her readers are more than familiar with. But she's also very much left of centre from a socio-political perspective. 'Yes I suppose I have a quirky streak in me,' she says. "I'm definitely not a beamer or Merc kind of person. I would always be attracted to fringe theatre or art house movies and politically I'd be left of centre. So when it comes to cars, I like models that are not exactly mainstream. The beetle is thought of with affection rather than admiration. It's an unusual childish shape - rounded and attractive, rather than sexy and grown up. I think it's an object of desire and a modern classic. So remember you read it here first. The woman driving their 00D reg lime, green Beetle black leather seats around Dublin is in fact best selling, worldwide author Marian Keyes. (Her books have even been translated into Greek, Hebrew and Japanese). "Last Chance Saloon" Marian's latest novel, proved to be the fastest selling paperback Irish bookshops had ever experienced, when it was published last year. A real page-turner it tells the story of Fintan, a 30-something who becomes seriously ill and is presumed to dying of AIDS. "It contains a lot of darkness and a lot of humour", says Marion, "it's all about redemption and hope and what happens when a close friend becomes terminally ill "a twist on the whole singleton thing. My books are not just funny books, there comedy rooted in darkness, which I happen to think is the best form of comedy, because comedy without the dark side is just like eating too much sweets, after a while, it starts to become unpleasant.
Mixing the light and dark side if human nature, stems perhaps partly from the fact that Marian herself has battled with depression over the years. "Depression is something I've always had," she says, "and it's depressing with a capital D. I've had it since I was an adolescent and it comes and goes and I have developed ways of keeping it at bay, but it's something that has been with me long before I ever started to write..." "I would prefer not to suffer from it as it's extremely unpleasant, but I have written about people suffering from depression and it seems to have helped others. People have written and told me it gave them enormous comfort, I suppose because I can write about it with complete authenticity. In a way it has given a richer dimension to my books and my writing.
"So what else makes a good writer? I wonder. "Obviously observation and listening skills are very important," says Marian, "also honesty. You've got to stop writing like somebody else, you got to tell it as you really see it, and it got to take risks with ideas and themes and characters. Readers get bored with perfect people and perfect plots. I took risks and opened up my head. I thought it might terrify people and they'd think I was a real nutter, but instead, people really related to my writing.
Marian writes to a routine; Monday to Friday, 8am to 3.30pm with evenings and weekends off. But she still finds herself very busy with publicity work, readings, interviews and all the other work that goes with being a successful writer. "I like chilling out with my pals," she says, "they come over to watch a video or we'd go out for something to me, or I'd go down to my mother or see my sister. I've the same friends I've always had, we're a nice supportive circle. Myself and Tony really enjoy the spicy, Asian food in Mao restaurant in town. They do this great Asian fusion dish which means you get a go of everything from Thai to Indonesian to Malaysia and to Chinese.. a whole cross section."
"And we also love travelling. Last year I visited the most amazing place I've ever been. We went to Vietnam and stayed in Saigon and it was just spectacular, truly most exotic place I've ever been to with regards to history, people, culture and architecture.We'd like to visit Tiblissi in Georgia this year but there's a war on." Somehow I don't think even a war would hold Marian Keyes back as she admits herself: "I have no dimmer switch. I either go for it completely, or I don't go for it at all," so no surprise to learn then that when she took a couple of months' break from writing last year, she albeit, somewhat late in life, signed up for 10 driving lessons in the space of two weeks, bought a Nissan Micra and started to drive. The minute she passed that test (first time round) last February she ordered the car she'd "always lusted after." "Being able to drive has completely liberated and transformed my life and how I think about myself. I have a lot more respect for myself as I find I can now be really useful," she laughs.
"I love being able to drive my mother places, or connect people the airport or do things I could never do before, like drive into town. Okay, I still feel like a really crap driver, I'm cautious and terrified and frightened on the road but it's getting better, I can now drive with the radio on or somebody talking to me."
Marian clearly likes to get on with things. Progression in terms of her writing is extremely important also. "I really hope that in each one of my books is better than the last. I certainly feel that in terms of the craft of writing I've improved over the years and in terms of themes as well, "I'm growing up and I'm learning and I think that's reflected in what I'm writing." There's no doubt, writing is her passion. "I love writing," she declares. "There's nothing nicer than having a good day's writing. It's the greatest pleasure. Of course I have terrible black days, very bad days, when nothing happens and I feel like nothing is ever going to happen. So it's the pain and the pleasure, the darkness and the light. Sure it's tough a lot of the time but when I have a good day there's no feeling in the world that can better it. " Maybe she'll be saying the same thing about driving her dream machine this time next month...
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