The rest, as they say, isn’t history. How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?

Rodham is Curtis Sittenfeld’s sixth novel, echoing her 2008 novel American Wife in which she imagined the life of a first lady like Laura Bush. Full of lively conversation, deep politics, and a lot of sex, it’s a pacy novel that follows the life of a firey woman who could hold her own against anyone in political office.

Sittenfield is clearly a Clinton fan, and whilst you don’t have to be to read the novel, it certainly helps if you have some interest in their life. It begins with the famous speech at her 1969 Wellesley graduation ceremony where Hillary told off the conservative senator who spoke before her, which sets the tone for the energy of the main protagonist. Women in the pubic eye are often held to ludicrously high standards, and the author challenges this at the same time as creating warmth and empathy to a woman who is not at all cold and calculating.

Even though she doesn’t stay with him, and leaves at the first sign of infidelity, Hillary does truly love Bill – and it wasn’t just sexual. ‘I knew plenty of smart people, but I’d never before encountered a person whose intelligence sharpened mine the way his did,’ she says. There’s a certain thrill that comes with seeing her in emotional and domestic settings, so far removed from the reputation that has been built up over the last few years. But she’s also a political powerhouse, and Sittenfeld draws the conclusion that without Hillary Bill’s political career would never have happened.

Most women in the public eye are full of contradictions. Is there any value in imagining an alternate life for them and seeing where those layers take us? Maybe not, but Sittenfield is a good writer and tells a story with emotion and empathy.

How different the world could have been.

I caught up with Valerie to find out more.

The collection was written over 15 years, which is a long time. What made you stick with it?

I really didn’t have a choice. It was how I would deal with the realities of my life. I would be deep in a thought or an emotion, and then this pattern would form and then these words would come, and the only way to stop thinking about it was to write it down and release it.

Your career has been as a ghostwriter – are there any similarities in each craft?

Ghostwriting is a lot of fun. If you do it right, you essentially write as another person. You take on his character. You listen intently to his word choice and his manner of speaking. You hear this other person in your head, and  you write the words you think he would say. It’s a bit like acting. For my poetry, it’s entirely me. It’s my voice, my thoughts, my experiences.

Is poetry the most natural way to explore the theme of love?

I think love is such a complicated human emotion and concept that it can be explored in many ways. There are romance novels, paintings, movies, plays, etc.  Poetry is just how I explore it. It’s my way of expression.

How do you stop yourself from being cliched?

I just try hard to be authentic and true to myself, and then my craft follows.

Your book explores the relationship between the natural elements with the emotions of love – can you explain this?

There are many poems throughout the book that reference the ocean, the moon, the wind, etc. These are parts of nature that I gravitate towards. And so when you read the poems, you’ll see me talk about nature,  sometimes in a joyful way and other times to represent loss.

Do you now call yourself a poet?

This is a very fair question, as I’ve been struggling with this label quite a bit. I supposed publishing a book of poetry that, knock wood, so far, is well received makes me a poet. I think of myself more of a storyteller. I’m just telling a story with each poem using a limited number of words and hoping it resonates. But, I suppose I could try on the word for a little bit and see how it fits.

Visit the loveliest castle in the world

That’s what Lord Conway famously called Leeds Castle. It’s certainly pretty beautiful. Listed in the Domesday Book a castle has been on the site since 1119. Today there’s over 500 acres of beautiful parkland and formal gardens, a maze, activities, a lake, and of course the stunning home. Bought by Lady Baillie in 1926 for £ 180,000 (bargain!) it’s her style you’ll see as you wander round and, if things are going well, imagine your future home together.

See and save some animals

Run by the Aspinall Foundation and committed to conservation the 600 acre Port Lympne Safari Park is home to lions, deer, bear, largest herd of black rhino in the UK, western lowland gorillas, and the only giraffe in Kent. If you are a single parent dating there’s plenty of space for them to run around and animals to look at whilst you guys get to know one another without the worry having to pretend to be an alien/princess/giant mushroom. Just me as a kid?

Punt away

The River Stour passes through the whole county, but nowhere is it more lovely than in the cathedral city of Canterbury. Get a riverboat tour through the city, gazing at the old architecture and clear water. This is the kind of activity that suits everyone, from teenagers dating to over 50s dating, and everything in between. Wrap up warm in winter, bask in summer, and watch the world go by.

Enchanting Austen             

Visit the stunning seventeenth century manor at Groombridge Place, take a turn around the formal gardens, get tipsy in the vineyards and lose your heart in the Enchanted Forest. The 2005 film of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, starring Kiera Knightley, was filmed here Groombridge Place with the manor masquerading as Longbourn. And as love stories go, that’s a pretty good one.

Seafood

Every July the seaside town of Whitstable plays host to the Oyster Festival, where Oyster lovers and just lovers both enjoy the sun, sand, seafood and whatever else that famous aphrodisiac leads to. Personally I can’t stand oysters, but champagne – yes please!