Curtis Sittenfeld and Erin O White

Curtis Sittenfeld and Erin O White

From Book Off! by Book Off!

February 19, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Authors Curtis Sittenfeld and Erin White discuss their latest works and share writing tips in a competitive Book Off.

Authors Curtis Sittenfeld and Erin White join Joe Haddow for a war of the words... Curtis and Erin are best mates - which makes for a very competitive Book Off! Erin talks about her debut novel 'Like Family' which has themes of desire in middle age, queer domestic love and life, navigating the world as a teenager - and much more. Curtis discusses her latest short story collection 'Show Don't Tell' which is a witty and tender collection of tales, featuring a cast of characters that feel like old friends. They also give some writing tips and recommend us some brilliant books too! THE BOOK OFF 'Colored Television' by Danzy Senna VS 'Unless' by Carol Shields Here's a little more on our guests' books! 'Like Family' by Erin White What if everything you wanted is no longer enough? Meeting for an autumnal swim in an idyllic pond, Caroline's friend Ruth tells her about a family secret that has recently been exposed. Caroline was looking forward to a celebration they'd been planning together with her sister-in-law, Tobi, but suddenly everything seems complicated. Tensions that have long been buried are bubbling to the surface. These three couples, who have so much to enjoy in their lives…

People in this episode

Host: Joe Haddow

Guests: Curtis Sittenfeld, Erin White

Topics covered

  • writing tips
  • book recommendations
  • queer domestic love
  • middle age
  • friendship
  • family secrets

Keywords

  • Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Erin White
  • Like Family
  • Show Don't Tell
  • book recommendations
  • writing tips
  • queer love
  • family secrets

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Like Family, Show Don't Tell, Colored Television, Unless

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