In this episode of Story Behind the Story, host Clara Sherley-Appel talks to British novelist Kirsty Capes about her latest book, Daughters, which was recently released in the US following its debut in the UK in 2024 (under the title Girls). Daughters follows Mattie and Nora, whose neglectful and abusive mother was the acclaimed artist Ingrid Olssen. On her deathbed, Olssen asks them to destroy her work, so when Olssen’s sister arranges an exhibition of her art in San Francisco, her daughters feel compelled to put a stop to it — despite their difficult and complicated feelings about their mother.
Our conversation spans Capes' early success as a novelist, her experience in the foster care system, how she brings levity to difficult topics, and more.