In Episode 201, author Lidija Hilje talks with Sarah about her debut novel, Slanting Towards the Sea. Spanning two decades and one transformative summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is a love story that also delves into the profound journey of coming of age in a nation younger than you are. Lidija shares lots of details about how this book came to be and the inspiration for the story and its lush Croatian setting, which becomes a character of its own. They also discuss how the Croatian War of Independence influenced both her own childhood and the novel’s narrative. Plus, Lidija shares some of her top book recommendations!

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

A brief, spoiler-free overview of Slanting Towards the Sea.
Hilje’s inspiration for Slanting Towards the Sea.
How Croatia became its own character in the novel.
The ways Slanting Towards the Sea developed and was impacted by Lidija’s never-to-be-published first novel.
The impact of the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) on Lidija’s childhood and the events of the book.
How Lidija shaped the ending of the novel over time.
What inspired making “people pleasing” such a strong element of Ivona’s character.
The complete, upending change that forever shelved her first attempt at a novel.

Lidija’s Book Recommendations [35:58]

Two OLD Books She Loves

Gioavanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:12]
Euphoria by Lily King (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:10]
Other Books Mentioned:
- Writers & Lovers by Lily King (2020) [41:10]

Two NEW Books She Loves

Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:33]
The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:55]
Other Books Mentioned:
- Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) [41:44]
- Trust by Hernán Díaz (2023) [43:41]
- Second Place by Rachel Cusk (2021) [43:43]

One Book She DIDN’T Love

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:34]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze (August 5, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:52]

Last 5-Star Book Lidija Read

We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:35]

Books From the Discussion

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (2023) [22:03]