Ann Patchett on why stalkers want her to read their novels

"I see people as kind," says Patchett, who is a bookseller and the author of 10 novels. (Supplied: Emily Dorio)

Ann Patchett is one of the most influential people in publishing. She's also known for being one of the nicest.

Her interviews often feature stories about her many famous friends, many of whom frequently pop up both in her Instagram reels and her bookstore, Parnassus Books in Nashville.

Her pal Tom Hanks narrated the audio version of her novel The Dutch House; when she asked Meryl Streep to narrate Tom Lake, Streep said yes before even reading the book.

Patchett's name also crops up in literary gossip: she helped Virginia Evans publish The Correspondent, a debut novel whose word-of-mouth popularity made it an international bestseller.

Her first claim to fame, however, is as the author of acclaimed books including Bel Canto (2001), Commonwealth (2016) and the aforementioned Tom Lake (2023).

Like Tom Lake, which was an ode to finding contentment in the small moments in life, her latest novel, Whistler, takes a resolutely positive worldview.

Whistler's main character, Daphne, a teacher in her 50s, is wandering through The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with her husband Jonathan when she runs into her stepfather Eddie, now in his 80s.

They haven't seen each other since she was a child and immediately resume their previously close attachment.

"She's thrilled to see Eddie, and Eddie is thrilled to see her, and right from the start, they decide they are going to be great friends," Patchett tells ABC Radio National's The Book Show.

In the process, they reconsider the past, including a traumatic car accident that preceded their estrangement.

Kate Evans, the host of ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf, believes Patchett is making a political statement in Whistler.

"She's making an argument for a good, kind world, which could sound terribly saccharine, but there's a real edge to this book and its view of childhood," she says.

The book's central relationship — between a stepfather and stepdaughter — is one that is often maligned in popular culture.

But in Whistler, Daphne's reunion with Eddie enriches both their lives.

"He was everything she wanted to be. He was smart. He was bookish; he was a books editor. He wanted to be a writer; she wanted to be a writer. He took her seriously. She just loved him, and any time they got to spend any time together was a really happy time."

Whistler's cover features a painting of a horse by Nashville artist Noah Saterstrom, who also painted the portrait which appeared on the cover of The Dutch House