Direct Answer
Sara Bareilles says Meg Wolitzer’s novel The Interestings influenced both her outlook and her art: it helped her work through grief, explore themes of talent and nostalgia, and ultimately prompted her to adapt the book into a stage musical.
How The Interestings Shaped Her Creative Path
A new compositional doorway
Bareilles encountered Wolitzer’s novel as a potential adaptation project, and the book unlocked material and moods she had not previously pursued in her songwriting. The novel’s texture and character-driven storytelling opened a distinct creative lane that she translated into theatrical work, marking her return to theater writing a decade after Waitress.
Grief, memory, and artistic permission
Reading the novel coincided with a period of intense personal loss for Bareilles. She has described how the book helped her process that grief and accept the intertwining of joy and sorrow in adult life. As she put it, “Great love and great loss are just braided together.” That idea informed how she approached melody, lyric, and emotional honesty in subsequent projects.
From page to stage
The Interestings supplied not just emotional material but also a narrative structure that could be reshaped for the stage. Bareilles began adapting the story into a musical, a project that grew out of her renewed interest in theatrical composition and storytelling following Waitress.
Key takeaways from Bareilles’s response
- The novel acted as a catalyst for new musical directions and theatrical ambitions.
- It provided a framework for processing grief and reflecting on the passage of time.
- Bareilles moved from personal songwriting toward narrative-driven composition for the stage.
- The experience reaffirmed her belief that ordinary lives contain both quiet meaning and dramatic possibility.
- “Great love and great loss are just braided together.” — a line Bareilles highlighted as central to her reading.
Where to hear more
The full discussion with Bareilles is available on the Books That Changed My Life YouTube channel, where she talks about how the book affected her craft and perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What book did Sara Bareilles talk about?
She spoke about The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.
In what way did the novel affect her career?
It inspired Bareilles to explore musical theater again: the book shaped her emotional and narrative approach and led her to adapt the novel into a stage musical.
What is the name of Sara Bareilles’s album that addresses loss?
Her album centered on themes of grief and transformation is called Good Grief.
About the Guest
Sara Bareilles is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and Broadway composer known for hit songs and the Tony-recognized score for Waitress. She continues to write, record, and develop theater projects.
Sources & Related Links
- The Interestings — product page
- Books That Changed My Life — YouTube channel
- Sara Bareilles — official site
Related reading on wakestreet.com: A Rock Memoir That Defined Margaret Cho’s Cultural Voice; A Shattered Heart Healed: Susan Lucci and Find Your Glow.
