© 2024 Iowa Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Novel “Love Me Back” Full of Sex and Struggle

Merritt Tierces’ debut novel, Love Me Back, was inspired in part by her own struggle with “body politics.”

Now, I really try to stay away from should... Everyone, and this is really maybe the one should that we should use, should be able to make decisions about their own body.

From what she describes as a conservative Christian family in Texas, Tierce says she struggled with decisions about sex and motherhood early in life. After spending time as a pro-life activist, she became a mother at 19 and supported herself working as a server in a restaurant.

Tierce is a graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and says Love Me Back, is in part autobiographical. It follows the life of Marie, a single mother who works at an upscale Steakhouse in Dallas, Texas who spends her time working through decisions about sex and self-destruction. 

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa
Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer