SOURCE: An interview, in Room of One's Own, Vol. 10, Nos. 3 & 4, March, 1986, pp. 7-61.

In the following interview, which was conducted in August, 1985, Thomas discusses her literary themes and interests and biographical influences on her writing.

[Wachtel]: You describe your own childhood as unhappy.

[Thomas]: When I think about it now, that was not the right word; I was absolutely terrified, I spent my whole childhood in a state of terror.

Terrified? Why?

Because my parents . . . somebody had to be the adult. It was interesting, Robert [Bringhurst] and I got to talking .. . about our childhoods . . . and I mentioned that very early on I learned that there wasn't any adult in our family.

Did you recognize that even as a—

Oh really young, and I was just terrified. They had these tantrums and they threw things, they smashed glasses, they threw knives. And what you did on Monday .. . on Monday...