WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT DEATH

Bestselling author Lionel Shriver chats to us about ageing, her daily rituals, and why her new novel about a suicide pact is actually very amusing

- JANE VORSTER

CANTANKERCOUS, crabby, combative, quarrelsome Lionel Shriver has been called all these things and more. That's because if there are feathers to be ruffled or sacred cows to be shot, the bestselling American author is usually only too happy to put her hand up for the job.

But not today. Sitting in the lounge of The Vineyard hotel in Cape Town, the author radiates warmth and good cheer as she tells us about the wine she's been sampling, the scenic drive she's just been on, and the hike she's going to be taking on Lion's Head later this afternoon.

There are no withering putdowns, derisive snorts, or strident rants - I must admit, I'm disappointed. Lionel chortles when I tell her this and insists that her prickly reputation is totally unwarranted.

"I mean, the truth is I have a good time most of the time," she says. "I know I sometimes come across as a bit of a misanthrope but I'm enjoying talking to you right now."