My First Time...with Anne Patterson

Anne Patterson is from County Antrim. She lives in London and works for the NHS.

Anne is reading from her superb debut novel Yes at The Riff Raff on Thursday 10th May.

Grab your tickets here, Riff Raffers >>

Here's the blurb for Yes...

'Maureen McCormack wakes up in hospital after a stroke.

Her memory is fragmented and she can say only one word – yes. Friends, family and lovers visit her, filling silences with secrets and learning to open up as Maureen learns to listen.

As the revelations mount, she and those around her attempt to come to terms with all that has been left unsaid and unexamined, and her view of life shifts fundamentally.

When Maureen’s ability to speak returns she decides to keep it a secret until she has made sense of her past and gathered the strength to shape her future.'

Describe the exact moment you decided to write your book?

Last century! There wasn’t an exact moment … I had started a few bits of writing while I was a student nurse back in the Eighties which I went back to.

I’ve always been interested in the patient experience – what it’s like for people to talk over you or about you as if you aren’t even there.

What’s the one thing you wish you’d known before starting your first book?

Si