Steve Toltz

Sure.

And that was my first laugh out loud of the book, Steve, was let's agree to disagree.

I never agreed to that because this book is funny and sad at the same time.

Is this kind of the Steve Toltz trademark?

Why is being miserable funny?

Okay, well, look, tell me how this book started.

I want to know what was going on in your life, what was on your mind when you sat down to write A Rising of the Lights?

I love Russell's parents.

After that prologue where we meet them and they split the kids up, we then find out as an adult that Russell is in touch with his parents.

He visits them at their respective aged care homes, you know, once a month.

What is Russell's adult relationship like with his mum and dad?

And why don't they want to see him?

There's this line in the book that really jumped out at me.

It sucks that the cure for loneliness causes loneliness.

I found this so powerful, you know, this idea that our need for love and connection with people means it hurts so much when we lose it.

Can you talk to me a little bit about that line?

And when we're talking about loneliness in this day and age, it seems like in an increasingly digital world, perhaps it's easier to be lonely than ever before.

There's a lot in this novel about tech and AI.

Also this idea that we're perhaps becoming redundant, Steve.

Tell me what you were seeing in the world that made you want to write about this.