The Book Case – “Lily King Writes Her Heart”
Podcast: The Book Case
Hosts: Charlie Gibson & Kate Gibson
Guest: Lily King (author)
Date: October 16, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode centers on Lily King’s latest novel, Heart the Lover. Kate and Charlie Gibson sit down with King to unpack the book’s themes, her writing process, and the enduring impact of first love—both in fiction and real life. The episode offers an intimate look at King’s approach to storytelling and creative struggle, rounds up favorite reading and writing influences, and features a quickfire Q&A with the author. The Gibsons also visit a brand-new independent bookstore, Dixon Books in Natchez, Mississippi, for a dose of literary community spirit.
Key Discussion Points
1. Introduction to Heart the Lover
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Premise & Themes:
- The novel explores the tenacity of first love and the many forms love takes over a lifetime. It tells the story of a woman, Jordan, as she navigates a love triangle stretching across three decades (03:05–04:39).
- Lily King describes it as “about that first love that you don't marry...that you love for your whole life, but in a changed form, and the process of doing that and the tenacity of that love” (02:11).
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Structure and Economy:
- The hosts laud King’s ability to pack emotional depth into a concise package of under 250 pages (02:51–03:23).
“This is an epic love story...loves lost...paths not chosen...and yet it is less than 250 pages. That's amazing...that somebody can fit so much emotion, feeling, and reality into that sparing of a package.”
—Kate Gibson (02:51)
2. Writing Process & Inspirations
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Origin & Creative Pivot:
- King started writing a different novel (a political murder mystery) but pivoted to Heart the Lover after being inspired by Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake to “have fun” with her writing (06:12).
- The initial seed: three characters in a college classroom—she immediately envisioned both their trajectory and their emotional destination thirty years later (06:12–07:20).
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On Form & Perspective:
- The book is written from Jordan’s perspective, structured more as a communication or a long letter to her first love than as a publishable novel or diary (07:34–08:32).
“I think of it as a communication from her to him...it's just her communicating to him. And I don't think of it as something that Jordan actually will publish in her world.”
—Lily King (07:34)
3. Crafting the Narrative
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Length and Negative Space:
- King always intended the novel to be short, feeling she lacked confidence in its heft and referring to it as her “minor book” while crafting it (09:52–10:49).
- She avoids padding and over-explaining, trusting her smart readers to fill in the blanks, but occasionally has to flesh out scenes based on feedback (13:36–14:17).
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Moments of Doubt & Breakthrough:
- King struggled with the novel’s third section, only breaking through after a suggestion from her husband: “She needs a secret.” With only 12 days left on deadline, she wove in a pivotal secret throughout the book, resulting in the most exhilarating writing of her life (11:04–12:48).
“That was the most exhilarating writing I think I’ve ever done in my life, really...I knew I was on the right track and I knew I was gonna solve a problem, and I was just on fire.”
—Lily King (12:48)
4. On Writing and Reading Life
- Autofiction & Writers as Characters:
- The protagonist is a writer—reflecting on how many novelists use writer-characters to articulate their philosophies of fiction (14:17–14:48).
“I started to understand the power of fiction, the reason that we make things up.”
—Charlie Gibson quoting the novel (14:17)
- Learning to Write:
- King credits her 10th-grade English teacher, Mr. Paulus, for igniting her writing passion (15:57).
- Life-Changing Books:
- Influential titles for King include Independent People by Haldor Laxness, War and Peace, The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard, The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez, Liz Strout’s My Name Is Lucy Barton, and Faulkner’s work (17:10–18:10).
5. Rapid-Fire Q&A with Lily King (20:04–21:41)
- Lesser-known book recommendation: Loved and Missed by Susie Boit
- Dickens or Shakespeare?: Shakespeare
- Sinatra or Elvis?: Elvis
- Bookmark: Corner of a page
- Who makes her laugh?: Her husband
- How many pages before giving up on a book?: 15–20
- Favorite artist: Matisse and her late mother-in-law Harriet Moore Ballard
- Book she feels she should’ve read: Crime and Punishment
- Introvert or extrovert?: Introvert; believes most novelists are introverts
- Best writing advice received: “Just do it.” (from a Nike ad)
6. Bookstore Spotlight: Dixon Books, Natchez, MS (22:43–28:41)
- Opening Eve Interview:
- The hosts talk to Jennifer Boone, co-owner, on the night before opening; she describes the chaos and excitement of last-minute preparations (24:33).
- Why a Bookstore?:
- After a career in healthcare, Boone was inspired to create a “healing place” and a “third space” for gentle conversation and community (26:08).
- She attended bookstore school (Paz & Associates), did due diligence, learned from former local bookstores.
- Her Dream Opening:
- “People coming in and looking around and seeing all the books and finding something that they connect with in there. I just. I want to see people's faces light up when they come in…” (28:13)
Notable Quotes & Moments
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On Titles:
“Heart the Lover is a slightly awkward title, but it's how somebody signs their heart, comma, the lover.”
—Kate Gibson (02:42) -
On Revising & ‘Kill Your Darlings’:
“Sometimes it would go on for two paragraphs, and then I'd shorten it up again...this is one of those ‘kill your darlings’ moments. Like, I'm clearly attached. It doesn't belong in the book. Whack, whack. You know, off it goes.”
—Lily King (08:33) -
On Creative Doubt:
“I had very little confidence in this book as I was writing it...I definitely had that thought, like, this is my minor book. This is small book.”
—Lily King (09:52) -
On Writing Secrets:
“She needs a secret. She needs to come into that last section with a secret… And then I had to...weave in the secret through the entire book. …That was the most exhilarating writing I think I've ever done in my life, really.”
—Lily King (12:31–12:48) -
On Becoming a Writer:
“My teacher, Mr. Paulus...handed back my short story and it was the highest grade I’d ever gotten… I was like, okay. I just waited, waited, waited for junior year to come around so I could start taking creative writing because I knew it was the only thing I wanted to do.”
—Lily King (15:57) -
On Advice for Writers:
“Just do it.”
—Lily King (21:35; also 30:10, in coda)
“Get the critic out of the door before you start writing your first draft....You write from the gut, you don't write from your mind.”
—Lily King (30:10)
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 | Introduction to Lily King & Heart the Lover | | 02:11 | Lily King describes the inspiration behind her novel | | 05:05 | Lily King joins for in-depth interview | | 06:12 | Seeds of Heart the Lover; Ann Patchett’s influence | | 07:34 | Book’s perspective: letter/communication to “him” | | 09:52 | Discussing economy, conciseness, and confidence | | 11:04 | Creative struggle—breakthrough on the last section | | 14:17 | Power of fiction: making things up and emotional resonance | | 15:57 | King’s personal writing origin story | | 17:10 | Books that changed her life | | 20:04 | Rapid-fire Q&A with Lily King | | 22:43 | Dixon Books bookstore spotlight with Jennifer Boone | | 30:10 | Final advice for writers: “Get the critic out of the door…” |
Tone and Style
Warm, candid, and reflective. The hosts and guest are conversational, throwing in friendly family banter and literary enthusiasm; King is open about her vulnerabilities as a writer, making the conversation accessible both to avid readers and aspiring writers.
For Listeners
This episode is a must-listen for fans of literary fiction, for anyone interested in the creative process (especially the doubt and exhilaration endemic to writing), and for those who love hearing about independent bookstores and reading communities. King’s insights into brevity, emotional economy, and the power of first love will linger long after the episode ends.