Ann Patchett

Did you have siblings?

I have a full sister and then I have a load of various stepbrothers and sisters who I am close to in varying degrees.

It is.

And my sister and I are incredibly close, although I will say...

I was in my late 30s before my sister and I were close.

We were not close growing up.

My sister absolutely could not stand me from the time I was born.

I mean, when my parents brought me home from the hospital, she's three and a half years older than I am, she immediately broke out in a horrible case of hives and she didn't really get rid of them until she was 40.

So what I was always doing my whole life was knocking on her door and going, hey, hi, hi, I'm your sister.

You want to come out and play?

You want to do something?

You want to have some fun?

And she would slam the door.

But with just sheer force of will and good cheer, I wore her down.

And we are really, really close now.

And it's very nice.

Very nice.

That was so important to my father.

My father used to just preach that all the time.

You have one sister.