Olivia Petter is an award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster, best known for her podcast Millennial Love – now titled Love Lives – in which she interviews celebrities on the loves of their lives and what they’ve taught them. In 2022, she wrote the non-fiction book Millennial Love, an exploration of modern dating, and this month publishes her first novel, Gold Rush – a compelling insight into celebrity culture, consent and where women fit into the world. Here, she shares what she’s watching, listening to and reading right now...
The TV Show I’m Currently Streaming... I’ve actually been rewatching Girls. Years later, the writing still hits you so hard. I think the American Bitch episode, where Hannah spends the day with a celebrated male novelist, should be taught in schools. It tells you so much about the nuances around power dynamics between older men and the younger women who admire them.
The Song I Play On Repeat... anything by The National; I think their songwriting is unparalleled. Or if I’m in need of something uplifting, it’s Emotional Rescue by The Rolling Stones. I dare anyone to put that song on and not feel compelled to start dancing immediately.
The Film I Always Recommend... Before Sunset. I love the other two films in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy [Before Sunrise and Before Midnight], but it’s this second one that always stands out for me. Partly because it’s set in Paris, which is, predictably, my favourite city in the world. But mainly because of how much is at stake romantically. It’s also the most unexpected of the three films; it forces you to ask questions about what loving someone means and how much you’re willing to sacrifice to pursue that feeling. I watch it regularly.
The Last Book I Couldn’t Put Down... Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I became obsessed with his books after reading Purity (also brilliant), but this might just be the best thing I’ve read this year. It’s about a seemingly happy family falling apart at the seams after an old friend – who happens to be a rock star – returns. It’s a devastating but deeply moving story that says so much about masculinity while also exploring the complexities of female obligation and desire.
The Artist Who Inspires Me Most... Francis Bacon. I’ve loved his portraits ever since I first saw them on a GCSE art trip to the Tate Britain. The way he paints faces is so grotesque and violent, it’s almost hard to look at them for too long. His work was a huge inspiration for me while I was writing Gold Rush, particularly the triptych, Three Studies For Figures At The Base Of A Crucifixion (1944), which features in the book.
Olivia Petter is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster. Her debut novel, Gold Rush, is out now
