'her golden coast' by anat deracine
An interview with the author
Hi everyone,
Earlier this year, my friend and colleague, Anat Deracine, published her second novel: her golden coast.
In this post, I’m experimenting with a different format. I hope you get a sense of the book by hearing directly from the author herself!
If you do end up reading the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon on Goodreads— whether you liked it or not. Reviews are incredibly helpful for authors!
You can get in touch with Anat Deracine through her Substack: Deracinated.
Enjoy,
mariana
mariana: Hi Anat, it’s wonderful to have you here. Without giving away any spoilers, could you start by telling us what is ‘her golden coast’ about?
anat: Hello! Sure. ‘her golden coast’ is about two women, Laurie and Mal, who are unhappy with their family experiences, since neither had strong role models for relationships or independence. When they both find themselves in California, they realise that the ideas they’ve relied on to find security and happiness—like achieving financial independence, or in Laurie’s case, finding a husband—don’t work the way they once did for their mothers.
In some ways, her golden coast explores the journey of two women who realise that the strategies their mothers once used to navigate life no longer apply, and their quest to find new approaches that work for them.
mariana: Why is the concept of belonging important to the story?
anat: I think there's a common misconception that belonging is something that just happens to you—something you stumble upon and it’s miraculously there. But that’s not the case. Belonging is something that you have to create. You have to make space for others in your life and open yourself up to let belonging happen.
Both Laurie and Mal are dealing with their respective wounds, and they struggle with allowing others in—at least in meaningful, intimate ways. This is a central theme of the story: understanding that belonging isn’t about finding your group. It’s about finding the space to create your group.
“Belonging is something that you have to create. You have to make space for others in your life and open yourself up to let belonging happen.”
mariana: Why should folks read ‘her golden coast?’ 😉
anat: I think many people today take certain rights and opportunities for granted—whether it’s queer rights, what women should expect from a workplace or a relationship, or broader concepts like intersectionality and justice.
As a woman of a certain age, I’ve seen how much has changed, and it’s important to remember these changes didn’t always exist. Laurie and Mal’s story reflects this—they’re navigating the boundaries and possibilities of their generation, exploring freedoms that weren’t available to their mothers.
It’s remarkable to remember that same-sex marriage or even conversations about gender fairness in the workplace are relatively recent developments. The progress we see today reflects expectations that the current generation takes for granted. And while it’s wonderful they are raising the floor, I think it’s worth acknowledging that the ceiling was only broken a little while ago, and even then, only a small part of it.
mariana: The book is set in San Francisco in the early 2000s. How do you think things have changed for better and for worse in Silicon Valley since?
anat: Some things haven’t changed at all, which I find fascinating. For instance, there’s a moment early in the book—maybe the first chapter—where Laurie snarkily comments that techies want to save the world but can’t load a dishwasher. They dream of solving world hunger but can’t manage the practical, everyday things. That’s still very true today. There’s this tendency to live in abstractions, theories, and frameworks, but not always to translate those ideals into practical, immediate kindness or action.
What has changed, though, is the broader conversation around women’s rights and queer rights—there’s been significant progress in these areas, which is encouraging. Laws have evolved, and social attitudes have shifted for the better. But we can’t take these gains for granted, especially in light of upcoming political changes. It’s crucial to remember what things were like back then so we don’t risk sliding backward.
As for regression, I’d say there’s less emphasis on diversity and inclusion in the workplace than there once was. The current macroeconomic climate, along with layoffs and other pressures, has deprioritised these conversations in many spaces. And, of course, the extravagant parties that feature in the book? Those have definitely toned down since the early 2000s.
mariana: Most people agree that Silicon Valley is a trendsetter—not just locally, but globally. Many of the ideas, products, and values from ‘The Valley’ influence how people relate to each other worldwide. Do you think Silicon Valley’s perspective on love and relationships has shaped global attitudes?
anat: Romantically, I’d say there’s definitely some influence, but it varies with age and life stage. That’s something I’ve noticed and am exploring in my next book, which focuses on slightly older characters in their 30s and 40s. Relationships evolve as people start facing milestones like having children, dealing with aging parents, or even experiencing loss.
The pandemic, too, has reshaped people’s priorities, making many recognize the importance of relationships in ways they might not have before. So while that “disposable” mindset—try it out, throw it away, and move on—was very much a thing in Silicon Valley during the early 2000s, I wouldn’t say it has completely taken over globally. I’m actually more optimistic than that.
Back then, there was a lot of resistance to settling down. It was about exploring everything, experiencing the world, and keeping your options open. There’s even a character in the book based on someone we knew who was so prolific in dating that we had to track who he was seeing on a spreadsheet—just so we wouldn’t accidentally say the wrong name when a woman came by asking for him! Thankfully, I think things have shifted a bit since those days. People now seem to value connection in deeper, more meaningful ways.
mariana: Switching gears slightly, tell me about your craft. What did you do to tap into your characters’ voices? Laurie’s and Mal’s voices are so distinct. How did you manage to hear them both?
anat: Like many writers, I modelled Laurie and Mal on people I know, which helped me hear their voices more clearly. Laurie’s voice, in particular, was easier for me to capture because I’m very close to the person she’s based on. A lot of the things Laurie says in the book are things I’ve actually heard this person say in real life.
To make sure their voices stayed distinct, I approached the writing in multiple ways. I rewrote the book several times—once in first person, once alternating between Laurie’s and Mal’s perspectives in first person, and so on. Eventually, I settled on third person, focused on Laurie’s perspective, and that version felt right for a couple of reasons.
First, third person lends itself well to what I think of as a more "grown-up" coming-of-age novel. This isn’t YA; these women are in their 20s, and the third person carries a sense of maturity that felt more fitting than the first person, which is often used in YA.
Second, Laurie’s perspective works better because she is more self-aware than Mal. Laurie has more access to her emotions and is the underdog in the story. Although racially she’s white, she grew up poor, didn’t go to college, and faces obstacles Mal, who comes from privilege, doesn’t even see. Mal’s wealth, education, and overall advantages make her less attuned to certain struggles, whereas Laurie’s perspective offers a broader, more grounded view of the world.
Lastly, I wanted to challenge some common narratives. In most stories, brown bodies are depicted as the ones yearning for the romantic object of desire. I wanted to flip that dynamic—and see a brown woman become the romantic object of desire in this story.
“I wanted to challenge some common narratives. In most stories, brown bodies are depicted as the ones yearning for the romantic object of desire. I wanted to flip that dynamic—and see a brown woman become the romantic object of desire in this story.”
mariana: Tell me a little bit about your research process. Did you have to go back to SF to make sure you were authentically portraying the setting?
anat: Absolutely. Research played a big role in writing the book, especially in making the place come alive. I went back to San Francisco many times, took a lot of photographs, walked around the city, and immersed myself in its atmosphere. Those photos and experiences helped me bring the place to life in the story. I also paid attention to how the city has changed over time, incorporating those observations into the narrative. A lot of the research for the setting was experiential—I wanted to feel the place as much as describe it.
But there was another layer of research, too, since the book has a strong literary component. There are numerous allusions to the Beat writers—Jack Kerouac, Carolyn Cassady, and others. I spent a lot of time reading and compiling quotes from them, creating a sort of reference file. That was incredibly helpful, not just for weaving those literary notes into the story, but also for breaking through writer’s block. If I ever felt stuck, I’d revisit those notes and let their content and style inspire me, keeping me on track both thematically and stylistically.
mariana: What did you enjoy most while writing ‘her golden coast’?
anat: What did I enjoy most? I think it was how much of a romp the story is—it’s about these characters living such a decadent, chaotic life. Writing it made me reflect on and appreciate the life I’ve led. Even while editing her golden coast, I was surfing in Mexico, shopping in Italy.That lifestyle wouldn’t be possible without tech, for all its flaws. Despite its issues, technology has provided women—and not just women—with a level of agency, financial independence, and freedom of movement that didn’t exist before. For example, I grew up in Saudi Arabia, where women couldn’t drive. Now, tools like Google Maps, Waymo, and Uber have fundamentally changed how women can navigate the world. These innovations have made it possible for women to move, explore, and live with greater freedom. Of course, this progress has come at a cost, and it’s not perfect. But writing the book made me more appreciative—not just of the present moment but of that early 2000s era, which was complex and challenging, yet not without its benefits.
mariana: Staying on the creative side of things, it’s very meta how the book is about women in tech who are healed by the creativity they bring into their lives—something you’re also doing by writing the book. How do you reconcile having a creative craft alongside your technical profession?
anat: That’s such an interesting question. When I was in college, I always saw myself as a writer first. For me, the tech world was just a way to make money so I could write. I didn’t identify as a techie; my self-worth and sense of purpose came from my creativity, from writing.
The tech world, though, has a way of reducing self-worth to strange metrics—like how much code you produce or what level you are in the company. It’s easy to get caught up in these measurements because the industry revolves around them. Add to that the broader context of social media and the focus on likes, follows, and stats, and it can feel overwhelming. In the midst of all that, you have to find a way to ground yourself.
For me, that grounding comes from creativity. When you’re creating, none of those external metrics matter. You’re connected to yourself and the world, creating for joy, for connection, or simply because you feel compelled to. It’s a pure process—something that no one can take away from you. They can dock your pay, lay you off, or strip away external validations, but your imagination, your ability to create, is untouchable.
Having a creative craft isn’t just important—it’s essential. It’s a way to maintain a sense of self that’s not tied to fleeting, external measures.
mariana: What advice would you give to fellow tech workers or people in less traditionally creative professions to keep their creative selves alive?
anat: I think the first step is believing that you have a creative side—and that it’s worth nurturing. So many people are conditioned to think they’re not creative, or worse, that creativity isn’t valuable. They tell themselves, “I’ll never make money from this,” or “No one will care,” or “It doesn’t matter.” But that’s missing the point.
Creativity isn’t about societal validation or financial reward; it’s about the joy of creation itself. It’s important to embrace the process of making something just for the fun of it—for the connection to your imagination and to that part of yourself. My advice would be to give yourself permission to try without worrying about the outcome.
mariana: What do you think is the role of creativity in the protagonists’ lives?
anat: Creativity plays a very complex role for both Laurie and Mal, though in quite different ways. For Mal, creativity is tied to her family’s history and their trauma around money. Her family has experienced both great wealth and devastating loss, and as a result, they don’t really understand how much is enough. That fear of losing everything again has shaped their mindset, and Mal has inherited that. She loves writing, but her family has always told her that being a writer won’t pay the bills. Her big question in the book is, “When is it enough? When am I safe enough, secure enough?” For Mal, her creativity becomes truly liberated when she realizes she doesn’t need to justify her choices anymore. She reaches a point where she knows she’s made enough to feel secure, and that freedom allows her to embrace being a writer fully.
Laurie’s relationship with creativity is different. For her, it’s tied to her self-esteem. She’s never been told she’s good at anything and therefore doesn’t believe what she has creatively is worth sharing. Her journey is about building confidence—learning to put herself and her work into the world, and dealing with the embarrassment and vulnerability that come with that. Mal acts as a catalyst for Laurie. Mal is fearless about putting herself out there. She doesn’t question if she’s good or if her work deserves to be seen. Watching Mal helps Laurie grow, but it’s also hard for her—it pushes her to confront her insecurities and figure out her own path forward.
mariana: Laurie works as an executive assistant. I was struck by that line you wrote: “if you couldn’t code, you weren’t a person”. What messages or ideas were you aiming to convey through her character and her position in the tech world?
anat: Laurie is such an interesting character to me because she has to hold so much back in order to navigate her environment. A lot of readers, especially those used to more overt romance or YA, might find her distance confusing. She doesn’t lay herself bare, even to the reader. She’s not the type of narrator who takes you through her day in an open or intimate way—she’s actually quite unreliable, especially at the beginning.
That distance is deliberate, though. It mirrors how much the tech world forces people to hide who they really are just to survive. Laurie has to repress so much just to keep her job, stay safe, and avoid drawing attention to herself. She’s closeted, guarded, and she’s learned that being open could cost her everything. Back then, there were no workplace protections for queer people, and being herself just wasn’t an option.
At the same time, Laurie is highly perceptive. She sees all the inequities in tech—the rigid class system, the irony of people claiming they want to change the world while being emotionally immature and incompetent in basic human ways. She observes all of it. But what you, as the reader, are allowed to see is limited by how much she’s holding back. For at least half the book, she’s not in a place where she feels she can be fully open—not even with herself.
That changes after the fibroids incident, which is a turning point for her. She stops holding back and starts saying, This is who I am. This is where I’m at. From that point on, she begins to show herself more—not just to the other characters but also to the reader. It’s the moment where you really get to see Laurie come out of her shell and step into her own, as a narrator and as a person.
mariana: In terms of style, I noticed that there are many instances where capital letters are omitted. What’s the reasoning behind that choice?
anat: Yeah, so it's interesting. There's definitely a critique of capitalism in the book, and it’s not exactly subtle. One aspect of that critique is the class system—how people are placed in a hierarchy based on whatever criteria are valued at the time. Laurie, for example, is very well-read and smart, but because she can’t code, she’s placed lower in the system than others. Beyond that, you also have markers like race, gender, and sexuality that play into this system that many like to pretend doesn’t exist. People claim it’s a meritocracy, but in reality, it’s just a class system.
Another critique in the book is the idea that you have to constantly be productive to be valued. You have to keep working, producing, contributing to the system, just to be worthy of love or happiness. So, the second question the book raises is, can you step out of that system and still be happy? What does it take to break free from it?
As for the lack of capital letters, it just felt right for the tone I was aiming for. It was a small gesture to convey an egalitarian perspective and put people on more equal footing.
mariana: I have two more questions for you. Is there anything about your book that you’d like to be asked, but no one has?
anat: I think one thing that people don't often ask me is how much of my own personal experience influenced the book. Maybe they're just hesitant to ask personal questions. But when it comes to how much of the book is based on my own life and emotions, I'd say a lot of it is. I lived through much of the tech world during that time, and many of the events are drawn from real experiences. For example, the parties I describe—I actually have photos from one, with a bronze Saturn and grapes.
So yes, a lot of the events are real, and the emotions are real too. For much of my 20s, my parents were pressuring me into an arranged marriage, and I definitely acted out during that time. I also grappled with questions about financial security and independence—like, when is enough enough? Those kinds of questions were a big part of my experience.
mariana : Lastly, could you tell us about your upcoming writing projects and where readers can find you?
anat: I have several projects in the works. The first one that's going to be released is a short story or novella I wrote a while ago called The Divine Comedy of the Tech Sisterhood. A lot of people really connected with it, but it's currently behind a Medium paywall. So, I plan to release it as an ebook for anyone who wants to read it, as a sort of gift for those who’ve reached out asking to share it with their friends.
The next book I'll be working on will also be released next year. It's a fun, Ocean's Eleven-style heist story where five flawed individuals team up to take down the generative AI that ruined their lives. Their plan? To poison a large language model with erotic fan fiction.
After that, I’m diving into a fantasy series. It’ll be more speculative fiction, in the vein of authors like Octavia Butler or N.K. Jemisin. The setting will be a modern world similar to ours but with speculative elements. I’ve already written three books in the series, and it looks like there’s more to come!
You can also check out my previous work, Driving by Starlight, published by McMillan.
mariana: Congratulations on your book and thank you so much for your time!
anat: don’t forget to leave a review, whether you like the book or not 😉
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