Elizabeth Cox: The Slow Moon
Book Club Books
February 28, 2009. Queenie D talks with Elizabeth (Betsy) Cox, author of
The Slow Moon.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
Did
the idea for Slow Moon come from a real life event or is it completely imagined?
I
was shocked, as was everyone, by the tragedy at Columbine, and wondered what kind of world (we) adults were building that allowed teenagers to
hurt (and kill) other teenagers. And even though this book is not taken from that situation, the story began there - with that feeling of dismay.
Very often I begin a novel with a strong reaction or feeling about a situation, then the story takes a life of its own.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
The
organization of this novel is interesting. I like how you switch back and forth between the different characters and each time the story is told
from their point of view. It makes each situation more intimate and helps the reader identify with the character. Even the more dislikable ones,
like Bobby, garnered a little sympathy because of this technique. Did you do this on purpose or did the story evolve this way on its own?
The
movement back and forth through time feels like a natural movement to me, and I often (and easily) take the tact of going back and forth through
time. The movement seems natural and, as you say, more intimate. The movement simulates the way memory moves.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
I
was taken aback that Sophie was only fourteen. Do you think this made the rape more tragic and unimaginable because she was so young?
Yes,
at fourteen her innocence and vulnerability are pristine, and she is especially vulnerable after the loss of her father, as well as the move to a
new place.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
Although
heartbreaking at times, I got really into each character's secrets and personal tragedies. Did you decide upon the story for each character first
or did each family take its own shape as you began to write?
As
I write a novel, I like to discover the story as I go along. I also discover who the characters are by "hanging out" with them. Sometimes they
surprise me. I felt a strong fondness for each of the boys - even Bobby, who seemed vulnerable in his need for a father, and his anger toward his
mother for the secret she kept from him.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
Whose
story is most interesting to you, or closest to your heart? I'm partial the Ava-Carl-Helen triangle.
Yes,
I felt drawn to the Ava-Carl-Helen triangle, but I also felt the particular (and different) vulnerabilities of Crow, Bobby, Tom, Antony, Lester,
and even Casey (the one we knew the least about). Each boy suffers some kind of damage that he tries to move beyond. They struggle and make mistakes,
some mistakes proved serious. And I liked the teacher and the coach who seemed to understand the boys better (at times) than their parents could
understand them.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
Can
you tell us anything about your current projects and/or novel plans for the future?
I
am working on and have almost finished a novel, as well as a book of short stories. I am also working on a nonfiction book- a book of essays that
look at various steps toward growth. I have another novel started, but I tend not to talk about works in progress, since I never know where they
are going, and I don't want to try to define them before they define themselves.
I am grateful to my readers for their interest in The Slow Moon, and hope they will look at my other books- past and future. Thank you
for this opportunity.
Book Club Books: Interview with Elizabeth Cox
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