Nathan Harris: “I Was Alone Everyday Writing and Then, All of a Sudden, They Want Your Baby Photos”
The debut novelist shares what it was like getting a call directly from Oprah
Zibby was recently joined by Nathan Harris on her podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. Harris’s debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, was selected as an Oprah Book Club Pick, appeared on President Obama’s 2021 Summer Reading List, and was long-listed for the Booker Prize.
Harris shares why he was initially scared to write a novel set immediately after emancipation, how his mom reacted when he told her Oprah had just called him, and the importance of finding a supportive community to share your literary universe with.
Read an excerpt of their conversation below and listen to the rest of the episode here.
ZO: What was it like being picked and then getting to do Oprah’s Book Club with her on Apple TV?
NH: It’s life-changing. It’s indescribable. You write fiction in your own world. I say it’s a universe populated by one. Then all of a sudden, your book is out there. Every reader kind of has their own little planet in your universe. You have these galaxies and all these people interacting with the book. To have Oprah acknowledge it and to make it a book club pick just blows it up even bigger. You’re swept up in at all.
I was alone everyday writing. All of a sudden, they want your baby photos. They want your entire life story. You’re flying out to California. Then you’re in front of Oprah. She’s the nicest person in the world and the loveliest person. She felt like my aunt or something immediately. You’re having this lovely talk about this baby that is your book that you’ve been holding close to the chest for so long. It was a magical thing. I couldn’t have been more honored.
Zibby: Did Oprah call you?
Nathan: Oh, yeah. Oprah calls you. I can tell you the whole story.
I deal with health anxiety. I’m always worried I’m dying from this and that. My publisher told me there was news. I thought it was terrible news. I was like, ‘They’re not going to publish my book for some reason.’ I broke out in hives and I had read that you can get anaphylactic shock when you have hives. I decided I’m going to go to urgent care just in case. I’m driving to urgent care. I get this phone call from this Chicago number. It’s Oprah Winfrey.
Then I’m pacing at urgent care and talking to Oprah. She’s going, ‘Oh, Nathan, I love the book.’ She’s going through different lines she loved and reading paragraphs to me, asking me questions about the characters. I had already reached the peak of my panic for the day, so I was just kind of at peace with it all. We had this wonderful talk.
That’s when I called my mom. She nearly drove off the road and started to cry. That’s what it’s all about. Growing up, she read to me every morning. She’s followed me every step of the way. I can assure you that moms do find time to read. At least, my mom did.”
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/nathan-harris-the-sweetness-of-water?rq=nathan%20harris
