“The End Is Not The End, It’s Going To Linger” — Lindsay Hunter On Her Heartbreaking New Novel

In the opening pages of Lindsay Hunter’s explosive Hot Springs Drive, readers learn a few simple facts: Jackie and Theresa have been friends since giving birth on the same day fifteen years earlier, Jackie later had an affair with Theresa’s husband, and Theresa was brutally murdered in her garage. What follows is a moving exploration of what led up to the shocking act of violence and its ripple effects on the characters’ lives years later. Hunter tells the story through a chorus of voices, from the family members most affected to peripheral community figures who observed from afar. The result is a compassionate and haunting examination of friendships, complicated family dynamics, and desire that has earned rapturous praise from critics. The Washington Post hailed Hot Springs Drive as a “gripping psychological thriller that is both a character study and a twisting combination of lust and tension” while Publishers Weekly noted that “Hunter’s masterwork hits all the right notes.” Hunter spoke to us about the origins of her novel, playing with time, and writing during the pandemic. Note: the interview contains some mild spoilers about information the reader learns halfway through the novel.