Elayne Klasson is the author of the new novel Love Is a Rebellious Bird. A psychologist, she has worked at San Jose State University. She lives near Santa Barbara, California.
Q:
You write, "When you begin to get serious about your writing in late
middle age, there is the sense that time is precious." How long did you
work on this novel, and how long have you been writing fiction?
A:
In my late 40s, 25 years ago, after a career in academia and raising my four
kids (much of it on my own as a widowed single mother), I asked, “If not now,
when?” Although I’d written a fair amount of academic material and some
journalism, I had always been passionate about fiction and so began.
Early
on, in my 40s, I got some encouragement: winning a few contests and awards and
residencies. However, Love is a Rebellious Bird took root five years ago after
attending a high school reunion in Chicago and becoming interested in how those
high school relationships influence, but do not necessarily define, who we
become.
Q:
How did you come up with your characters Judith and Elliot, and how would you
describe their relationship?
A:
I soon realized that long-form fiction was where I was most comfortable. I like
to tell a story over time and I like to develop a character’s backstory. Taking
off from this high school reunion I attended, I wondered about this real
boy/man Elliot, who had always been every girl’s crush.
What
would happen if this extremely desirable and attractive person actually had and
maintained a relationship with one of the more ordinary girls/women who adored
him? What happens when a charismatic and beautiful man actually becomes
involved with someone not quite of his stature? I was interested in the power
balance of this relationship over time.
Q:
You note of your decision to tell the story in second person, addressed from
Judith to Elliot, "I wasn't happy with this being told to an anonymous
audience." What do you think the second-person narration adds to the
novel?
A:
I hope it adds two things: honesty and intimacy. A contract of dishonesty
existed between Elliot and Judith. She is the loyal friend. Even when they
sleep together, she is not to openly admit her love for him. That admission
would change everything. By addressing Elliot directly in this novel, Judith’s
story becomes more honest. And because it is more honest, I hope it is more
intimate.
Q:
What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A:
I struggled over this. I didn’t write this novel to depict any great social
message. Some readers have seen a “Me Too” story in the book. But I was hopeful
that through this novel, readers would look at their choices in finding love in
their own lives. I start out with that question: “Why do we love the people we
do?”
I
hope readers will take away Judith’s courage in looking at her choices and what
they cost her as well as what they gave her. As we age, I think this accounting
and self-examination is important. I like that Judith is not a victim—she is
stubborn, analytic, sarcastic—but she always takes responsibility for how she
lived her life.
Q:
What are you working on now?
A:
I have an unpublished novel I finished before Love is a Rebellious Bird. It is
called The Earthquake Child. Having an adopted child, I was terribly interested
in the interplay of nature and nurture—especially when a child is adopted by a
family culturally and economically different than his biological family.
Again,
following an adoptive child over decades, I tell his story from three voices. I am revising the
novel and hope to publish it in 2021.
Q:
Anything else we should know?
A:
It is a thrill and surprise that I am publishing my debut novel at the age of
72! I have worked hard and always felt that when the work was good enough, it
would be published. I feel excited and exhilarated to be talking about and
touring with this novel and am treasuring the experience. As I said earlier, I
feel every moment if precious and I don’t want to waste any of it.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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