Bookends with Mattea Roach

4.7 (215)
BOOKS
UPDATED WEEKLY

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.

2D AGO

Emma Donoghue boards a train destined for disaster

There’s a famous black-and-white photograph of a train bursting through the side of a building and falling onto the pavement below. It was taken in 1895 — and Emma Donoghue’s latest novel, The Paris Express, reimagines the story behind that moment. In her retelling, the Irish Canadian writer fills the train with her own vibrant characters. From wealthy politicians to young anarchists, she dives into the complexities of the time as the train races toward its demise. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Jack Wang: Reimagining the lost stories of Chinese Canadians during WWII Paula Hawkins: Exploring the dark side of the art world in new thriller The Blue Hour

34 min
6D AGO

Why Heather O’Neill believes in magic

The great Canadian book debate is underway, so we're revisiting our 2024 conversation with Canadian writer and former Canada Reads winner, Heather O'Neill. Heather’s latest novel, The Capital of Dreams, follows a young girl hunting for her mother’s lost manuscript during a war. She spoke with Mattea Roach about taking inspiration from her own daughter, her love of imperfect art and how famous philosophers inspired a talking goose. Find everything you need to know about Canada Reads at cbcbooks.ca.

24 min
MAR 16

Getting to know Canada’s king of suspense

Linwood Barclay’s literary journey started with writing fanfiction on a typewriter. Over 20 books and millions of copies later, he’s one of Canada’s most successful living writers. His intricate thrillers have captivated audiences around the world — and his newest book, Whistle, comes out in May. Linwood joins Mattea Roach to talk about how he dreams up big thrillers, being mentored by the greats and why he loves model trains. You can also catch Linwood this week as a panellist on Canada Reads 2025. He’s championing the book Jennie’s Boy by Wayne Johnston. Canada Reads airs from March 17th to 20th. Find out more at cbcbooks.ca.

38 min
MAR 12

How Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain

Have you ever met someone who felt like a mirror of you? In Katherine Brabon’s new novel, Body Friend, the protagonist meets two women named Frida and Sylvia. All three are living with chronic illness and they’re in profound pain. But when it comes to dealing with that pain, Frida and Sylvia are polar opposites — and our protagonist is caught in the middle. Katherine knows these difficulties firsthand. She joins Mattea Roach to talk about living with and writing about chronic pain. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Kate Gies: Reclaiming her body after years of medical traumaSarah Leavitt: Illustrating grief too wide for words

35 min
MAR 9

We can still avoid a tech dystopia — here’s how

Years before he coined the term “enshittification,” Cory Doctorow was just a kid who was fascinated by computers — until he saw how profit and monopoly tainted the industry. Now, Cory is a leading policy advocate and writer who uses fiction to explore how things could be different. His latest novel, Picks & Shovels, is the third in his series about forensic accountant Martin Hench, who investigates financial crime in Silicon Valley. Cory joins Mattea to talk about the dawn of the PC, how the promise of computing got so off track and why jail-breaking your Tesla might be the best response to U.S. tariffs. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Helen Phillips: In a world run by AI, what makes us human? Rachel Kushner: In Booker Prize finalist Creation Lake, an agent provocateur faces deep questions about how to live

41 min
MAR 5

In the Caribbean, secret lives come at a cost

H. Nigel Thomas’ latest novel, A Different Hurricane, is set on the lush Caribbean island country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s about two young men who become secret lovers until society forces them apart — and it draws on Nigel’s own experiences as a gay man who left Saint Vincent for Montreal when he was just 21. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Aysegul Savas: Finding home in foreignness and capturing the uncertainty of early adulthoodEric Chacour: Exploring the power of familial expectations and forbidden love

34 min
MAR 2

Pitbull, Scarface and a whale walk into a book

A famous rapper, an Al Pacino movie and a captive whale named Lolita seemingly don’t have much in common. But in Jennine Capó Crucet’s latest novel, Say Hello to My Little Friend, she manages to bring them all together in an ode to the magic of Miami. Jennine joins Mattea Roach to talk about the wild ride of writing the book and how her own experiences as a Cuban American are reflected in the story. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Teresa Wong: Illustrating her family's past — in all its ordinary and epic momentsKaveh Akbar: Finding meaning in sobriety and writing his bestseller, Martyr!

40 min
FEB 26

Emily Austin: Would life be easier as a rat? And other ways to escape adulthood

For Emily Austin, living like a rat means embracing the small joys and avoiding societal expectations — and that idea is at the centre of her new novel, We Could Be Rats. The book follows two sisters as they reckon with mental health struggles, their relationship to each other and the difficulties of growing up in a small town. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes: Zoe Whittall: Why heartbreak is a valid form of grief Fawn Parker: Blending her own grief with fiction in new novel Hi, It’s Me

38 min

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Mattea Roach

Host

4.7

out of 5

215 Ratings

Mattea is great

11/21/2024

Nashville Julesbeth

Mattea’s questions are so smart, and her interview style is perfectly balanced between friendly and professional. I thoroughly enjoy every episode.
BEST PODCAST EVER

05/01/2023

trillionshelper

Dear Ms. Wachtel, It was upsetting to hear you are ending your podcast—-selfishly I wish you would continue doing it forever. There is no podcast I look forward to more—-I know it will be the most interesting, intelligent and enlightening hour of the week, without equal. As I am not a writer I do not have the words to adequately and appropriately thank you—-for an hour of bliss each week, for introducing me to authors I would otherwise never have known of—-many many thanks. You will be greatly missed. I can hope you write several volumes of memoirs !
No equal among author interviewers

01/27/2021

20digits

An incredibly prepared and thoughtful interviewer of authors . Superior to all other book podcasts
The best

09/12/2017

lukequinton

Eleanor Wachtel is one of the best interviewers in the world.

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.