Local Author Talks About Her Prizewinning Novel

Diane Chandler tells what inspired her to write 'The Road to Donetsk'

Chiswick author Diane Chandler spoke this month to Bridget Osborne of The Chiswick Calendar about her novel 'The Road to Donetsk'.

She won the People's Book Prize for Fiction earlier this year for the book and in the interview she tells how she was inspired by her time in post-Communist Ukraine to write a novel entitled, 'The Road to Donetsk', a gritty love story about the relationship between two aid worker.

Diane has been a resident of Chiswick for over 15 years and wrote the book while she was bringing up a young child. Like Vanessa Parker, the central character in the book, Diane had previously worked for aid agencies. She managed EU support for Ukraine as the country was trying to find its feet having left the Soviet Union. When she was writing the book she had no idea that the country would sink into conflict by the time of publication. Although she never actually lived in Ukraine herself she was a regular visitor. As well as being a love story, the book highlights the practical challenges faced by aid workers in delivering assistance effectively.

July 29, 2015