Q&A with Gráinne O'Hare on her debut novel Thirst Trap

Hi Gráinne! Congratulations on the publication of Thirst Trap. It was an incredible read and we know our readers will love this too. Where did the inspiration for Thirst Trap come from?

Thank you so much! It’s very surreal knowing it’s out in the world now. It didn’t really start out as a novel; I was very homesick when I moved away from my home city eight years ago, and writing scenes set in Belfast pubs was just something I found very comforting.

We meet Maggie, Harley and Róise on the first anniversary of their friend Lydia’s death. Was it always the plan to introduce the characters at that moment in time?

Not always! I spent a long time writing about the four of them living together, and I originally planned to kill one of them off towards the end. The more I wrote, the more I felt like I was going to struggle to infuse the story with any kind of hope or warmth if this was what it was rattling towards – so I decided to have Lydia’s death happen off the page and meet the characters a year later.

We follow each character's own storyline but we still feel the strong undercurrent of Lydia’s loss throughout the book. How did you approach crafting each character's individual plot while capturing their own experience with grief?

I think the two things went hand-in-hand quite naturally, because such a big part of their grief a year after Lydia’s death is that it’s woven into their everyday lives. They’d all been friends for so long and their lives were so enmeshed that there are a million tiny, mundane things that remind them of her.

We learn that before Lydia’s death, there was a big fight that fractured the girl's relationship. How did you decide when to reveal this? 

I kept it vague in the beginning of the story because I wanted to build Lydia as a rounded character first, rather than risking her being defined by this horrible fallout.

You managed to perfectly portray the messiness and relatability of life in your twenties throughout Thirst Trap. Did you draw on your own friendships or experiences?

Thank you! Lydia quite likes talking about train stations, which is very much autobiographical, though perhaps not universally relatable.

Maggie, Harley and Róise are all well developed, lifelike characters with their own storyline. I had such a soft spot for Róise! Did you feel a stronger connection to any of them?

It’s so lovely when people tell me they connected with the girls in the book, or one in particular. I feel so much tenderness towards all of them and I don’t like to pick a favourite, but I have always felt very fond and protective of Harley.

How long did it take you from the initial idea of Thirst Trap all the way through to your final draft?

The whole thing took about five years to write, with a lot of false starts and redrafts. Writing is hard!

Did you learn anything new about yourself as a writer during the process of writing the novel?

I learned that I write best when I have a routine and that I am terrible at maintaining one on my own. I would probably not have finished Thirst Trap if I wasn’t on Zoom three nights a week with my writing group, they were a godsend.

Thirst Trap’s June release makes it a brilliant choice for a summer read. We’d love to know, what is a book you’re looking forward to or would recommend for summer?

Alice Slater’s latest novel Let the Bad Times Roll is a cracker – twisted and murky and moreish. I’m also reading Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth at the moment.

Lastly, what do you hope readers take away from the book?

Laughter, compassion, and hope. I want Thirst Trap to feel like sitting in the pub with friends who might not always make good decisions, but always have good stories.