BEST AUTHOR BEST : XOCHITL GONZALES

The novelist considers giving away a book to be '' the highest form of praise.'' Her new book, '' Last Night in Brooklyn,'' flips the '' Great Gatsby '' gender script.

.-  What's the last great book you read?

I finally read '' Bel Canto '' and I just - ugh! luxuriated in it. What a pleasure.

.-  What books are on your night stand?

'' The Violence,'' by Adriana F. Ramirez. '' Kill Dick,'' by Luke Goebel, '' Baldwin: A Love Story,'' by Nicholas Boggs, is just outstanding. I'm taking my time with it.

.-  What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

Probably more surprising is what's NOT on my shelves. I consider giving away a book the highest form of praise.

When I love something, I urgently put it in someone's hands. I have given books away to strangers next to me in restaurants if I finish while dining alone.

.-  Describe your ideal way to procrastinate from writing.

Filling out questionnaires!

.-  What's the best book you've ever received as a gift?

In college my friend Indra gave me '' The Complete Stories '' of Zora Neale Hurston. It changed my way of seeing the world.

.-  '' The Great Gatsby '' was an inspiration for '' Last Night in Brooklyn " — but so was the musical. '' Company. '' Explain.

I adore  '' Company '' Sondheim at his best. But the gender-swapped production a few years ago didn't work for me.

I hadn't realized how much that story relies on the protagonist being a man. Which got me thinking about '' Gatsby '' and how much of that book hinges on how a man would size up a situation and even tell a story.

And then my brain was off to the races.

.-  You described the novel as a '' field guide to friendship.'' What do you mean?

Social média created this illusion that relationships can be managed online. Not really true. I wanted to capture how much knowing people - in a real way - happens over the course of being in the trenches of life together.

Experiencing those awkward, friction-based moments that happen when out and about.

The Publishing continues to Part [ 2 ]. The World Students Society thanks The New York Times.