Welcome to Literary Friction. I'm Carrie Plitt here as always with my co-host Octavia Bright. Hi, Octavia. Hi, Carrie. How are you doing?

I'm in Atlanta the weather today. I know. I'm sorry if I'm a bit below par everybody, but I'm here and I'm happy to be here.

You're never below par, but I do feel bad for you. You're a real trooper. I am a real trooper. I want all the medals. I can give you some medals from my illustrious sporting careers. Oh my God, actual medals. I'm not just bragging now. No, I want it, I want it. I have a lot of medals. Actually, I think my parents threw away all the medals. It happens when you run track, you just get medals all the time. Carrie, I have a lot of medals. Actually, I think my parents threw away all the medals. It happens when

you run track, you just get medals all the time. Carrie, I have a lot of medals player reporting

for duty. Well, oh, actually, that's a very convenient reference to have just made because today on

literary friction, we're going on the run. Oh, I, oh my, I set that up for you.

Yes.

Or more accurately, we'll be sitting still in the studio talking about literature that

features characters who are running away both physically and psychologically.

From Cora and Colson Whiteheads, the Underground Railroad to Madame Bovary.

We're thrilled that our guest today is Emer McBride, who has come back on the show to talk about her third novel Strange Hotel, which follows an unnamed protagonist as she moves from a hotel room to hotel room around the world, trying to forget her past.

Octavia, do you want to introduce Emer?

I would love to.

Emma McBride's debut novel, A Girl is a Half-Forn Thing, won the Bailey's Women's Prize, the Kerry Group Irish novel of the year, and the Goldsmiths Prize. Her second novel, The Lesser, Bohemians, won the James Tate Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize. In 2017, McBride was awarded the inaugural creative fellowship at the Beckett Research Centre, University of Reading. We actually spoke to Ema before about her second novel, The Lesser Bohemians a long, long, long, long time ago. And you could probably dig it up in our archive if you really wanted. She was great. We were maybe a little green in those days. We were a little green. We also did it in the Faber offices, remember remember and people kept slamming the doors so the sound

quality is not great but she was great yeah she was great to talk to her again we're really glad she's coming back

so today you'll hear our interview with emmer we'll talk more generally about the theme of being on the run in literature

and finally we will give our usual book recommendations. So lace up your sneakers

and jog along with us for the next hour on literary friction. Emory McBride, thank you so much for

coming on literary friction. We've asked you to start with a reading from Strange Hotel. Do you mind

setting it up? Yeah, absolutely. I'm going to read a little bit from the section called Austin.

And yeah, so the book is about a woman who travels from hotel room to hotel room.

This is, this is Austin. She opens the door. He says, can I come in? She closes the door again.

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