SPOTIFY

I wrote If You Leave from a place of unknowing, groping in the dark for a story. What carried me were settings--Washington, DC, and rural North Carolina--with their textures of sounds, tastes, and sights that I collaged into a character-driven novel. Music was a pull in many scenes; some 20 pieces are referenced. Dancing a jitterbug is mentioned, and several composers are named. Many other tracks are specified, and listening to this playlist now feels like a turn through the scrapbook of Audrey’s and Lucille’s 28 years of friendship—which also happens to be the span of Lake’s life heretofore. While this list hews closely to the plot, I’ve avoided any spoilers.