On Sunday,I heard Carolyn Parkhurst read from her book The Nobodies Album, which I also reviewed that day. Before she started her reading, she said that the book has a "challenging, complicated structure," and that she often wondered what she had gotten herself into. Parkhurst also answered a few questions after the reading. Here is the Q&A:
Q. How much of the novels-within-the-novels did you actually write?
A: I only wrote as much as you see in the book, but I needed the basic plot and what was happening in the book. I had to explain it all to the reader so that they would understand. But I didn't write any more than I had to.
Q: What do you think about authors changing the endings of their books?
A: I had once read about Joyce Carol Oates revising a thirty year-old story, and I wondered, was she allowed to do that? But ultimately, I don't really care what anybody does. Personally, I like finishing and moving on when I am done. It scares me to think that I could tinker with a book forever. I find it a weird choice to revisit an ending.
Q: Would you ever write a book from one of these seven pieces of novels?
A: Probably not, even though it would make my mother happy. I tried not to make them like short stories, but I feel like I've already said what I need to say about those characters. Maybe the themes and subject matter will come up again, though.
The Nobodies Album also got a great review in the New York Times Book Review on Sunday – check it out.
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One comment
I’m with Ms. Parkhurst–it would be strange to change the ending of a book. One has to assume that the author wrote the ending he or she wanted. And even though the ending may not work for everyone, it seems to me that it would be one of those go-with-your-first-instinct kind of things.