Marian Keyes may have made a successful career out of her penmanship, but her interest in books proved to be life-changing even before she became a renowned author.
The Limerick native revealed that she was very anxious and lonely as a child, and recalled the one place she found comfort. Marian’s mum Mary found the perfect way to calm her daughter’s nerves… by introducing her to books.
Mary taught Marian how to read when she was just four years old, and the rest was history! The 61-year-old’s ‘mind was blown’ when she read her first novel, Enid Blyton’s The Twins at St Clare’s.
‘I was an anxious, lonely child,’ Marian told The Irish Independent. ‘But when I read my first Enid Blyton book, (The Twins at St Clare’s) my mind was blown.’
‘Suddenly, I had a gateway to another world – to infinite worlds. I was able to escape the discomfort of being me by immersing myself in the lives of others,’ she recalled.
‘Since then, reading has been my saviour. No matter what was going on for me, books comforted me, befriended me, made me laugh, made me think, gave me breathing space, and cocooned me from the world. The ability to read is my superpower,’ Marian said.
The author’s beloved mum has continued to play an active role in her daughter’s literary pursuits, with Marian dubbing Mary as her ‘harshest critic.’
Marian previously shared a snap of her proud mam holding a copy of her 2024 novel My Favourite Mistake. ‘ ‘Lads, PRAY for me. Becripes!!!!!! A proof copy of My Favourite Mistake has made its way to the harshest critic of all – Mammy Keyes!!!!’ she joked.
‘DO NOT be fooled by that smile. She’s about to get out a red pen and score deep lines across page after page while yelling, “Filth! ‘Tis FILTH! For the love of all that’s holy, WHY can’t you write NICE books? Tis nottin but hoooooooooook-ups and wan-night-stands!’
It appears we have Mary to thank for Marian’s best-selling books!
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
