Elin Hilderbrand: The Castaways
Book Club Discussion
July 24, 2009. For her second interview with Book Club Queen, Ms. Hilderbrand discusses her new book, The Castaways, with Queenie C.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
You
described a character's grief as pornographic. What made you use that term? Many people would agree that the issue of pornography is a controversial
one but the term fits so well here.
What
I meant in that case was that her grief was deeply personal, bordering on the obscene – my character was showing so much of herself, her pain, her
insides, which lent itself to a comparison with pornography. Showing so much intimacy it was, in some way, indecent.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
You
described Delilah's messiness in such an interesting way: "Delilah liked messy surfaces. She liked leaving bits and pieces of her frantic life all
over the place...Delilah was proud to display these reminders of her personality; she was glad to be too busy to put everything back where it belonged."
Why is this central to her character? Are you a messy person?
I
hate clutter. (And yet I never have time to put anything away!) I wanted Delilah to have a bursting at the seams kind of energy; she is too absorbed
in the living of life to worry about cleaning up.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
Do
you "live deliberately?" How would you define that in your life?
I
am a sucker for pleasure...I guess I define living deliberately as making sure that there is one moment or many moments in each day that are juicy
and savorable and above all, fun. I love authentic experience: riding a bike, having a great conversation, making something delicious to eat,
reading a fabulous book.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
Should,
as you describe it in the book, "honesty should be met with honesty?" How do you see this playing out with your characters?
Well,
the thing is, no one is ever fully honest. What was interesting in this book was that the reader could see who was lying and who was telling the
truth. I am all about moral ambiguity in novels...it makes them fascinating.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
Have
you ever run away from home? Why? Where did you go?
I
tried once, sort of, when I was seventeen. It involved borrowing a friend's Chevy Impala and setting off into the city of Philadelphia. However,
it was raining and the road was slick and the Impala had bald tires and I ended up rear ending a woman...so then I hid out at a friend's house but
I was quickly discovered. That was the most trouble I have ever been in!
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Elin Hilderbrand
Can
you tell us anything about your current writing projects?
I
am writing a novel called The Island set on Tuckernuck, which is a tiny island off the coast of Nantucket. It involves four women: the mother,
two grown daughters, and the mother's sister. So put another way, two sets of sisters from two generations. It covers a lot of tricky emotional
baggage, my favorite kind!!
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