Q&A with Beverly Gologorsky

 

 

 

Beverly Gologorsky is the author of the new novel The Angle of Falling Light. Her other books include Stop Here.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Angle of Falling Light, and how did you create your character Tessa?  

 

A: My titles are often the inspiration that gets me started. Tessa was born at the same time as the title. I sensed her at a beach, didn't know which beach (yet) and from there began my search and the novel.

 

I don’t know where my characters are headed, I never do. I’ve no idea what will transpire, only in the writing itself do I discover the more and more of not only the character(s) but also the world in which they dwell. 

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title arrived with a second part: The Angle of Falling Light depends on where you stand, and I had to discover what that meant.

 

Q: The writer Elizabeth Strout said of one of your previous novels, Stop Here, “Unflinching, piercing, Gologorsky looks straight into the face of class in this country.” What do you think of that description, and do you think it applies to your new novel as well?

 

A: I think her words are very perceptive, and yes, I believe it does apply to my fifth novel, The Angle of Falling Light, in which the characters must work to make ends meet, as do so many millions in this country. But also their very stuck-ness propels them toward change at whatever cost.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I would like readers to see in the world of The Angle of Falling Light what it takes to create oneself in difficult circumstance, and take courage from the courage of the characters as they hold tight to hope in the midst of duress, and finally that readers will recognize the inherent human desire to stretch beyond one’s reach.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on another novel, What Can’t Be Broken, but too soon to say anything more.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: While living inside the fictional world of The Angle Of Falling Light, much was happening in the real world: banning books, erasing DEI, men, women and children dying in Gaza, all of which is/was a daily upset and distraction.

 

And though I never abandoned writing The Angle of Falling Light, I also had to pay attention to these negatives, and do what I could.

 

Deborah, thank you so much for the opportunity to respond to your questions.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Beverly Gologorsky.