Interview with Chad Gayle Author of Let It Be

"What do you get if you set a heart-breaking story of a major family breakdown to The Beatles' classic album 'Let It Be'? Answer: this debut novel by the incredibly talented American author, Chad Gayle. It's a painful and poignant portrayal of a family torn apart, set to a soulful soundtrack." --Liam Tarry, The Book Boy

When Michelle Jansen moves to Amarillo to get away from her abusive husband, she struggles to meet the emotional needs of her two children as she continues to rebuff the demands of her overbearing ex, but she finds love and support in the arms of a coworker who is as much of a Beatles fan as she is, and she begins to gain the confidence and the strength that she needs to stand on her own. Michelle's ex can't bear to see her happy, however, and she's blindsided by an unexpected betrayal as her ex turns her very own son against her; when this family that has already been split down the middle is thrown into chaos, it's up to Michelle to find a path toward healing and forgiveness, a way to right the wrongs that have hurt them all.


With chapters named for and influenced by songs that appear on the Beatles final album, Let It Be is a touching tale of loss, longing, and forgiveness that chronicles the breakup of a marriage, the destruction of a family, and the struggle to come together in the aftermath of what remains.

Interview with Author Chad Gayle

Tell us about yourself ?

 I'm a writer and a photographer who lives in Brooklyn, New York. I am originally from Texas, although I have never lived in Amarillo, where Let It Be is set.

What inspired you to write Let It Be to a Beatles album?

After the attacks on September 11, I did a lot of soul searching and really started looking at my life and the things that had happened to me. There was a sort of dredging-up process that I went through, and while I was going through that process, I started thinking about my own parents’ divorce, which happened when I was ten years old. 

At the same time, I happened to be listening to the Beatles final album, Let It Be (I’m a huge Beatles fan), and I got interested in the role that album played in the dissolution of the Beatles. I realized that the album itself could serve as a metaphor for the splintering of a family, that it could become not only a metaphor for what a particular family like my own had to go through after a divorce, but also that each individual song could really take on what was going on in the characters’ heads, what they were thinking and experiencing. At that point, I got very excited about the idea, and I knew that there was a story there that I had to tell, although I wasn’t entirely aware of who these people were that would form this family that was falling apart. 

What book are you reading now?

 I'm currently reading Paul Harding's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Tinkers.

What do you feel is the hardest part about writing? 

Always being aware of the fact that no one will ever know how much blood, sweat, and tears go into my fiction.

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

I identify strongly with the mother in Let It Be, Michelle Jansen, probably because, like her, I've had to make personal sacrifices for my two kids that have imposed limits on what I can or can't do with my life.

What is the most rewarding experience you've had since your book has released?

Seeing Let It Be receive warm reviews from bloggers who love books has been extremely rewarding for me.

Favorite song of all time?

 If I had to choose a favorite song, it would have to be "A Day in the Life," from the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Are there any upcoming projects that you'd like to tell us about?

I finished working on a novel that is set in war-torn Iraq, and I'm just beginning to shop that around. It was an extremely difficult book to finish, and I'm glad that it's over and done with.

Share a fun fact about yourself?

My first drafts are always written on a white Olympia manual typewriter.