What inspired you to write Grace?
When I first started writing, Grace was Catherine’s story. I wanted to create a world that shows how deeply sexual harassment and assault are imbedded in our college and university cultures. Grace presents a current-day fictive story fueled by a troubled past.
Catherine is very much a woman of her generation. She has been able to pursue an education and jobs she loves without too many obstacles. Her personal circumstances and a desire to be closer to her elderly father, Douglas, compel her to leave her job at Somerset College and make the move from faculty member to dean at Franklin College. She is somewhat naive about what is involved. The circumstances at Franklin may cause her to retreat or may empower her to see beyond her own survival and unearth the College’s secrets.
As Catherine digs deep to navigate the external struggle on the job, she grapples with an internal struggle that forces her to confront her troubled childhood. This is where Douglas’s story becomes so important.
Catherine’s relationship with her elderly father Douglas is touching and complex.
Readers who have cared for an aging or ill parent will understand the dynamic. The child becomes the parent, wanting desperately to make the rest of the parent’s life as comfortable as possible. But Douglas is sifting through troubling memories, memories he feels compelled to share with Catherine. Douglas’ story takes us back to the turbulent 1960s and his passion for social justice. His memories provide a glimpse of a woman he loved who shared his desire to change the world.
Why is the theme of storytelling so important to the novel?
Storytelling bridges the academic and the everyday. Catherine is an English professor, an authority on autobiography. She often processes her own experience through the lens of others. Her colleague, Hal, is a History professor who writes oral histories of the Civil Rights Movement. When Hal meets Douglas to hear his personal account of the March on Washington, Hal is transformed by the story Douglas tells.
Storytelling asks each character to rethink collective and personal memories. As it does, the past reshapes the present. Catherine’s understanding of her father’s story empowers her to make enlightened choices in her difficult professional life.
Something is missing in our discussion. The woman Douglas loved, Grace, is a bit of a mystery. Could you say more about her?
Yes, but I don’t want to say too much. As readers, we get to know Grace through Douglas’ eyes. I want readers to draw their own conclusions about Grace and her importance to the story.
As Douglas reveals to Catherine, Grace “was a brunette—black Irish—with incredible spunk. Her eyes were green, and she had a wicked sense of humor. She had more energy than I ever did, and I was as much attracted to her intelligence as I was her beauty.” A Civil Rights attorney, Grace fights for the ideals Douglas was unable to realize.
You mentioned you are writing a prequel to Grace.
The prequel is about Grace and takes place in the 1960s and the 1970s. Like the groundbreaking Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who I researched extensively when Grace began to haunt my imagination, Grace will not let me go. The story Grace tells may be quite different than the one that lives in Douglas’ memories.
What was the research process for writing this book?
As Douglas’ character emerged, I knew that a better understanding of the Civil Rights Movement was important. I read extensively, watched many YouTube videos and documentaries, and traveled to important Civil Rights’ cities – Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma.
Part of the story takes place in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. Since Douglas is there in 1968, I interviewed a man who grew up in Bar Harbor and had been a teenager in the 1960s. He described how different the park and the town were then.
What is the most difficult part of the writing process?
Discipline and patience are needed to keep writing. Much of what I write never makes it into the story but is a necessary part of the writing process.
Can you tell us what a typical writing day looks like for you?
I write for several hours in the morning. I stop at a place I can return to easily the next day. I spend time in the afternoon editing and doing research if it’s needed.
What is the most interesting thing you learned while writing this story?
Characters are like friends and lovers. Just when you think you really know them, they reveal something new.
Who are your favorite writers?
Toni Morrison. Each of her novels take place at an important moment in our history. I’ve enjoyed teaching The Bluest Eye and Jazz.
Ann Patchett is a favorite, especially State of Wonder and Bel Canto.