Author Saba Sams, known for her debut collection Send Nudes, has shared the books that shaped her life, from Muriel Spark to Dodie Smith. Her earliest reading memory involves Jacqueline Wilson’s The Illustrated Mum, which she read aloud to her mother in the car. Sams praised Wilson for avoiding the ‘overly virtuous and safe’ tone of many children’s books.
Sams cited Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie as her favourite book growing up, noting its enduring vitality. As a teenager, Kathy Acker’s Blood and Guts in High School expanded her mind, while Gwendoline Riley’s claustrophobic novels changed her perspective on literary range. Ali Smith’s The Whole Story and Other Stories inspired her to become a writer, particularly the story ‘Erosive’.
Clarice Lispector’s Água Viva proved a transformative reread, offering a ‘singular, out of body’ experience. Sams regularly revisits Lorrie Moore’s Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?, finding new details each time. However, she has no interest in rereading Wuthering Heights, which she studied for A-level, citing the abundance of other books.
Discovering Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle later in life brought joy, though she half-wishes she had read it as a teenager. Currently, she is reading Ben Pester’s Sail Away Land, which she describes as ‘weird and soulful’. Her comfort read is Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, which she finds both funny and comforting despite its sadness.
