Relax and Read Book Club: The Girl With The Suitcase by Lesley Pearse

Spabreaks.com’s Relax and Read Book Club gives you the chance to discover new books, learn about the authors, share your opinions and really escape into an inspiring world of literature.

This month we're reading The Girl With The Suitcase by Lesley Pearse, in which Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, and when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground Mary’s life is suddenly changed forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth and hands over her suitcase with Elizabeth’s money and tickets to Ireland inside. This is Mary’s chance to escape the hardship of her life and start afresh.

“I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop turning pages long into the night. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me holding on… truly wonderful. Once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down!” - Reader Review, Netgalley

Here, we interview the one and only Lesley Pearse to find out more.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write The Girl with the Suitcase, by reading about The Blitz in London during WW2. It crossed my mind it would be a good time to go missing, people just assuming you’d got caught up in a bombing raid.

Can you provide a brief overview of the book's storyline or central themes?

My heroine Mary Price, is not considering disappearing, she is a shy, timid young woman working as a maid. She drops into Lyons Corner House in Trafalgar Square for something to eat and shares a table with another woman of similar age, size and colouring, called Elizabeth Manning. When the air raid warning siren goes off, the two girls hurry to the Tube together. But the bomb drops onto the tube station and Elizabeth is killed. When Mary regains consciousness a nurse calls her Elizabeth, and tells her Mary is dead, and so the idea of taking on this new friend’s identity comes to her.

Calling herself Beth, her new life takes her to Ireland, and a pretty cottage. But being an impostor isn’t her only secret, and to find lasting happiness she must face the truth about her childhood and share that and what she has done, with those she comes to love.

Do you have a favourite character in the book? If so, what makes them special to you?

My favourite character is Sergeant Harold Irwin. He is a regular soldier, but broke his leg in France and arrives in the nursing home where Beth volunteers when it became infected. He’s my kind of man, strong, brave, yet sensitive.

Could you share insights into your daily writing process and routines?

I tend to write in the autumn and winter these days, as although I am an obsessive gardener, it shuts down for the winter, but in spring and summer there is too much outdoor work to do.

These days I don’t have much of a routine. I take Barney my dog out in the morning and try to sit down and write when I get home. On a good day I will write all day, but now as I’m getting old I get sleepy and have to stop. I do my best work in the evening though, if I can stay awake. I don’t plan the book meticulously, I just get a vague idea and just go with it and see what comes up.

Who are some of your favourite authors or books, and how have they influenced your writing?

Charles Dickens is my absolute favourite writer. I love his characters and the social comment in his work. It is said that I have the same kind of social comment, and my sympathy with the working classes. I have no interest in the rich and powerful, give me a little kitchen maid any day and I’ll give her a future and happiness. Along with a few dozen wrong turns!

How does your wellness routine integrate with your writing practice, and do you make any specific adjustments during writing periods?

Walking is my main wellness routine, I’m fortunate to live by the sea, and as I walk I am very aware of trees, birds and flowers. Likewise my garden is the place I work and relax in. Sometimes I sit for an hour of more just being at one with nature.

Is there a particular spa treatment you enjoy, and what draws you to it?

I love swimming and try to find hotels with a spa and a pool. I like facials and massage. I have problems with my feet, mainly because of arthritis, and have a foot and ankle massage every two weeks.

Lastly, what is your top tip for maintaining overall wellbeing, especially during busy times like writing and promoting a book?

My top tip for maintaining overall wellness is to eat properly with plenty of fruit and veg. I eat very little red meat, preferring chicken or fish. I am fortunate in looking much younger than my eighty years and I put this down to laughing a great deal. I don’t take myself, or anything too seriously.

Photo credit for Charlotte Murphy