Top Five: Places to Read with Wine

The inspiration for my debut novel, Learning To Speak American, came to me as I sat on the deck of my Napa Valley home, a copy of The Kite Runner in one hand, a glass of Chardonnay in the other, and it occurred to me that if you couldn’t be happy here, maybe you couldn’t be happy anywhere. I explore this premise via the fictional Duncan and Lola Drummond, whose marriage is tested to breaking point following the death of their only child. The story begins two years later so it’s not about the tragedy itself, but the consequences of not being honest about it. A trip to California is a final attempt for the couple to reconnect and they impulsively buy a derelict house to renovate. As Lola immerses herself in the project she begins to embrace life again, unaware that Duncan’s life is falling apart. Only when their secrets are exposed do they admit the truth about their relationship and their future. 

Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford is out now (Twenty7, £3.99).