Vikki Heywood talks to Nicola Cutcher

Meet the characters of Vikki Heywood’s novel about the hidden lives of women, inspired by the real life of her former head teacher, who came out aged 70.

The titular characters in Heywood’s novel live in a leafy Buckinghamshire village, where they maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But their public façade masks a story of passion; they met as suffragist activists in the 1900s, danced in London’s secret gay clubs between the wars, and comforted one another during the Blitz. Now they face heartbreaking decisions as changes begin to take place following the end of the war.

Heywood introduces her warm and witty debut, speaks about her real-life inspiration, and discusses how her life in the theatre influenced her writing. Heywood was executive director of the RSC from 2003 until 2012 and before that joint chief executive of the Royal Court Theatre.