A jail stint can really disrupt someone's life.

You can lose a job, a relationship, or thousands of dollars on fees, fines and bail.

Have I ever gone to jail?

Yeah, I just got out, actually.

If he doesn't show up the court, you gotta pay the $50,000.

No ring exchange, no kiss the bride.

There's no glamour in a jailhouse wedding.

Off the block.

All six episodes tracing the path from city block to jail block and back are now available on KCRW's iTunes page.

Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

Boots.

Where would we be without boos?

Where would we be without good? No, Zintberg.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we be without books?

From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblad, and welcome to Bookworm.

Today's guest is Tessa Hadley.

You know, there are so many British writers that I'd like to have on the show,

but it's a fairly rare occurrence that you make your way around America.

I'm grateful to... Well, I'm feeling very lucky to be here. Thank you. The past is a fascinatingly shaped book,

and I think it's built around a shock to expectation.

So the very first sentence reads, Alice was the first to arrive, but she discovered as

...