Q&A with Daniel Asa Rose

 

 

Daniel Asa Rose is the author of the new book Truth or Consequences: Improbable Adventures, a Near-Death Experience, and Unexpected Redemption in the New Mexico Desert. His other books include Larry's Kidney. He lives in Connecticut.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Truth or Consequences?

 

A: I didn't find this book so much as it found me. At its heart, this is the story of going back into the past in order to understand the present and get a glimpse of a new future. It's about two college kids who set off on a cross-country joyride as the Vietnam war was at its height.

 

We came to a crashing halt in the New Mexico desert, specifically and ironically, in the wiggy town of Truth or Consequences, which we return to several lifetimes later in search of the beautiful blonde woman who t-boned us and nearly killed us all those years ago.

 

Q: The author and editor James Marcus said of the book, “The best books are the unclassifiable ones, and Truth or Consequences wriggles out of the reader’s grasp on almost every page. Are we reading a memoir, a travel narrative, a fantasy, or a reckoning with time and mortality? The answer would be all of the above.” What do you think of that description?

A: Gratefully, James is right. It is all those things -- part memoir, part travelogue, part mystic adventure, and above all a soul-baring reckoning with time and mortality. His praise means a lot to me because he’s right -- this book isn’t about any one thing. It's filled with pathos, irony, self-deprecation, and humor--and that's a risky thing for any author.

 

For me, I wanted to pay tribute to the incredible array of people who befriended me, who taught me, and who were a vital part of this pilgrimage in the magnificent, awe-inspiring New Mexico desert.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: It was a cathartic experience over the 10 years it took to write this. It wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun. But I hope, as with any memoir, that readers will find a bit of themselves in my quest for unraveling the mysteries of the past, for understanding the challenges one must face, and ultimately, the wisdom to be found.

 

Q: What do you think the book says about Truth or Consequences, New Mexico?

 

A: I hope that my book is a celebration of this wonderful, often-overlooked dusty outpost in the middle of the New Mexico desert. It's the kind of typical southwestern town one speeds by cruising along the interstate.

 

T or C is a microcosm of everyday life in America, with all of its glories. I continue to be grateful for all that it taught me about the dignity of life, the power of love, and the inherent goodness of ordinary people.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My first story was published in The New Yorker when I was 28. I'm having a great time these days going over some of those early stories and seeing them from the vantage point of 50 years later.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb