From writing tasting notes to rereading well-worn novels, Denver food critic and cookbook author Allyson Reedy has spent her life savoring language. Her collection of Gatsby books started small, a few editions snagged from used bookstores, but it grew into a personal ritual—and ultimately sparked the idea for her own reimagining of Fitzgerald’s classic story, giving voice to a character long overlooked. We sat down with her in her home library, and here’s what she has to share.
From food writing to fiction: “A good sentence is a good sentence, whether it’s about a perfect coq au vin or unrequited love. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed writing fiction, how it flexed my mind in different directions.”
Young love: “Like most of us, I read The Great Gatsby for the first time in high school, as required reading. I think it speaks to youth because it’s about potential— the potential to turn yourself into anything you want, to capture wealth, to recapture love. It speaks to gender roles, class, corruption, and then there’s a love triangle—or maybe a love pentagon?—thrown in for extra intrigue.”
Chasing the green light: “There are so many different themes in Gatsby that resonate with people—the American dream, unfulfilled love, class, disillusionment— but I love it for its language. Every word is perfect. In fact, it’s the first book I read to both of my babies when I brought them home from the hospital. I wanted that to be their introduction to the English language.”
More than a mistress: “I don’t think Fitzgerald was kind to the women in his stories. Myrtle definitely got the short stick in Gatsby, and I wanted to tell her story as someone beyond just this money-grubbing, social-climbing adulteress. I knew there was more to her, and she sort of came to life in my mind. My Myrtle is so much more complex, full of the motivations, flaws, emotions, and baggage that we all carry.”
Turning pain into prose: “I think that most books are a labor of love, but this one was a labor of heartbreak. I wrote it to get through my divorce, and the daily ritual of returning to the page was a sort of therapy. I didn’t think I could get through so much as a day, but I’d make myself write, trying to use those emotions to create something from the pain. That daily act of writing what would turn into Mrs. Wilson’s Affair was exactly what I needed to get through that difficult time. Writing it was my therapy, and the act of writing it was my best reward.”
On the calendar: “I will be at the National Council of Teachers of English conference at the Colorado Convention Center, Friday, November 21, at 2 p.m., signing books, and you can find my book wherever books are sold.”
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