Direct Answer
Sara Bareilles credits Meg Wolitzer’s novel The Interestings with changing her artistic perspective: it helped her process a period of personal loss, shifted the themes she explores in songs toward mortality and nostalgia, and became the basis for a stage-musical adaptation.
Why this book mattered to her
Bareilles first encountered Meg Wolitzer’s novel when it was offered as a potential adaptation. The novel’s tone and scope opened a creative doorway she hadn’t explored before, nudging her toward a different style of storytelling and composition. Reading the book coincided with a painful five-year stretch in which she lost close friends, and she has said the novel gave her language and emotional permission to address grief in her work.
How it affected her creative choices
The Interestings helped Bareilles move beyond the pop songwriting lens she’s known for and into broader theatrical storytelling. That change in approach contributed directly to her decision to develop the novel into a stage musical—her return to theater writing about a decade after Waitress. The book’s exploration of talent, envy, and time provided thematic material she could translate into songs and dramatic scenes.
Emotional and thematic shifts
For Bareilles, the novel offered a framework to confront and express complex feelings about mortality and memory. Engaging with Wolitzer’s characters and their life arcs validated a bittersweet view of love and loss—one she summarized herself:
“Great love and great loss are just braided together.” — Sara Bareilles
Where to hear her discuss it
She spoke in depth about the novel and its impact on the Books That Changed My Life YouTube channel, describing how reading the book unlocked new possibilities for her writing and helped her process grief.
Practical takeaways for fans and creators
- Reading outside your usual genre can change creative direction.
- Personal loss can surface fresh artistic themes—Bareilles turned grief into material rather than avoidance.
- Adapting a novel for the stage requires translating internal emotional life into songs and scenes; The Interestings supplied that internal terrain for Bareilles.
Frequently asked questions
Which book did Sara Bareilles talk about?
She discussed The Interestings, a novel by Meg Wolitzer.
Did the book influence her career plans?
Yes. The novel inspired Bareilles to write a stage musical adaptation, marking a notable return to theater composition after her work on Waitress.
Is her recent album connected to these themes?
Her album that centers on loss and transformation is titled Good Grief, and those same motifs—mortality, memory, heartbreak—overlap with what she explored after reading Wolitzer’s novel.
Closing thoughts
Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings served as both a creative catalyst and an emotional companion for Sara Bareilles. It helped her face personal sorrow, broaden her songwriting palette, and commit to a theatrical adaptation that channels the novel’s bittersweet spirit.
About Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles is a singer, songwriter, actress, and Broadway composer. Known for hit pop songs and the Tony-recognized score for Waitress, she has received multiple Grammy nominations and awards and continues to write and develop theater projects.
Related links
Related reading on magicvibes.co: Sara Bareilles on Adapting The Interestings; What Margaret Cho Learned From I’m With the Band’s Pages.
