Elizabeth Gilbert is famous for her self-discovery memoir, Eat, Pray, Love - the international bestseller that became a travel phenomenon, a Hollywood movie and an inspiration to women the world over. But before she was a poster-girl for finding yourself through travel, she was a much-praised novelist and a National Book Award winner, with four books under her belt.
Her first novel in 13 years, The Signature of All Things - a wildly imaginative literary page-turner - has met with a rapturous critical reception.
In this conversation with Caroline Baum, Gilbert reveals the stories and influences behind the book’s scientific trailblazer Alma Whittaker - and her grappling with the ethical, social and sexual constraints of the era in which the story is set. Whittaker, we learn, is a character constructed of minutely considered decisions by the author.
Gilbert also shares how she achieved a fine balance between the historical and contemporary - and how she sets about voicing the narration in her work.