Author Lily King on Writing Romance in an Era of Political Turmoil
Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted author Lily King has been grappling with how to write in Trump’s America and how writers should mobilise to respond to the rise in authoritarianism. King spoke to The Mirror’s resident book critic Dr. Aimee Walsh about writing romance fiction in a reality where the world is subsiding towards the far-right.
Beyond the writing desk, American communities have been rallying to protect liberties - from access to books to the threat of removal from the USA. In this climate, writing novels which delve into the depths of human empathy, despite the world, is a radical act.
The Emotional Core of 'Heart the Lover'
King’s Heart the Lover is a cult-favourite amongst readers on Instagram and TikTok. In the opening part of the book, first love, with all its uncertainty and missteps, unfolds for Casey in the form of a love triangle as she pursues friends Sam and Yash. In the second act, Casey is grown-up and married with kids - but not with either Sam or Yash. Yet, an illness brings them back into orbit again - which readers have been responding to with tears and heartbreak.
All those loves lost - the roads not taken - are brought to the surface for readers. This has especially resonated with older readers who recognise these difficult emotions, while younger readers - who may be going through their first love - will feel it as “a real gut punch,” King told The Mirror. She added: “If you fall in love young, it's coming for you at some point. That's part of having young love.”
Raw emotion is evident on the page. This pain is drawn from life, as King explained: “In 2019, I had two old loves, my big first loves, die of cancer a month apart in separate cities and different hospitals. The emotions of that experience made their way into this book. It's one of those complicated feelings when you've had a first love and then when they pass and you're no longer in a relationship with them.”
The emotional outpouring from readers has not been limited to women, as King said that she was “surprised” by male readers speaking to her at events “about how much they cried.” Of these interactions, she added: “It really moved me.”
Politics Bleeds into Fiction
Yet, politics and facts from the real world bleed into the fictional world, whether a writer intends to or not. “When you have a political axe to grind in a novel,” King explained, “going at it directly is not going to come out well.”
The author is horrified by the Trump administration's “tyranny,” as anti-immigration ICE raids occur in militaristic fashion across cities in the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in America are targeted enforcement operations conducted by federal agents to apprehend, detain, and deport so-called undocumented immigrants.
The widespread criticism of ICE raids - which slam them as tearing families apart and violating basic civil rights - has fuelled a fierce, nationwide resistance movement of legal advocates, sanctuary cities, and grassroots organisers.
King told The Mirror that her strengths come not from community-organising, but from solitude and writing. She said: “We all should be in the streets all day long and yet I am not and I'm ashamed of that. I feel like I do small things, but it's never enough.”
Though, there is a crucial need for expansive empathy in times of widespread horror. It is in the subtle kindnesses of Heart the Lover that King stakes her flag, through instilling a longevity to loving - through decades and borders.
She explained: “Love is our most important human emotion, the thing that is going to protect us and save us from tyranny... It has just been extraordinary, and the love that came out of [Minneapolis], that is who we are as human beings. That is the best of us.”
The city of Minneapolis became a focal point of fierce resistance during ICE raids which began in December 2025, as thousands of defiant residents, local leaders, and grassroots activists mobilised massive protests. The public outcry intensified after federal agents shot and killed two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate incidents during January 2026 protests against the raids.
“We have so many people who are true patriots who have pushed back,” King said. “I'm very conscious when I use the word ‘patriot’ of all of the baggage of that word, but I love my country, and I am a patriot, and I don't want anyone to take that away from me. We just have to take it back. Language has been twisted and poisoned as long as we've had it, and this is just a new iteration of it.”
Book Bans Under the Trump Administration
Under the second Trump administration, American book bans have hit record highs, fuelled by federal policy shifts and organised political pressure. Documented by PEN America and the American Library Association, thousands of library titles have been removed.
Librarians and booksellers have been at the coalface of this war on words. Initiated by Texas Republican Matt Krause, the 2021 "Krause List" directed school districts to audit approximately 850 books - overwhelmingly focusing on race, sexuality, and gender identity.
“The [Trump] administration's fear of knowledge, of science, of research is just appalling,” King stated. “I hope writers feel compelled to speak against that. It goes against so much of our very core beliefs. The brain drain in our country, because of this administration, puts us at such a disadvantage, and it puts us in peril in terms of our future.”
Backlash Against the Backlash
Heart the Lover isn’t shy about exploring hardships, from love, loss and even violence against women and girls. There is a subplot coursing under the surface as an acquaintance, who Casey spent very little time with, was murdered in the pursuit of love. This haunts Casey throughout her life.
King's inclusion of this violence in a literary love story is a window into women's safety. She said: “To be a woman in this world, we all either have experienced or know people very close to us, who have experienced abuse and rape by men. And so to write about a woman's experience [in Heart the Lover] often includes that in some form. We are in a moment right now of great backlash against women. It really breaks my heart. The lack of freedom that is being put into laws in our country for women is really astounding, and I look forward to a backlash against that backlash.”
Heart the Lover by Lily King is out now.
