Junot Diaz sits down with The New Yorker's Book Bench

The Pulitzer prize-winning author of the forthcoming collection of stories This Is How You Lose Her spoke to The New Yorker's book blog about his narrative style, career, and passions.

"I seem to have to make my characters family before I can access their hearts in any way that matters," Diaz said of his characters. "And as any elder can tell you—you can make a friend in a minute, but family requires a different order of commitment. Seems you got to put your whole life into it for it really to work." Read the full interview here.