Kay Mupetson: Penguin Luck
Book Club Discussion

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

I'm dying to know - is your family history interlaced with that of the Penguins? If so, in what way? If not, how did you become interested in this topic?

My parents are concentration camp survivors as are my aunts and uncles. They were in their early twenties when the war ended. They only spoke about the war amongst themselves--never with others and just like in my novel, they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps in their new adopted land-America. The specific stories in the novel are composites of the stories I've heard throughout my life.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

The addition of Doreen's ghosts was a unique twist, and one that I wasn't expecting. Did Tania, Yankel, and Aaron begin in young Doreen's imagination as she listened through the door to the adult's tales of sorrow? How did they become a "real" presence in her life?

Over time, Doreen spun these ghosts out of the stories she heard late at night when she eavesdropped on the grown-up conversations. Instead of having her conscience simply tug at her, I thought it much more visual and real to have her visited by ghosts who represented her responsibilities towards her past by interrupting her regular activities and talking to her, pestering her, and wrestling with her. It took her years to realize their positive influence on her as well.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

I was angry at Max for pretty much the entire second half of the book. I felt it a cruel penalty that he would shut out his only daughter because of the man she married, and a decent man at that. Why did he behave this way? And later on, when they reconcile, why didn't you include that particular conversation? I wanted to hear how they were able to work through what seemed like such insurmountable differences.

I don't think Max was cruel at all but paralyzed by his fear that he was losing his only child to a future that was foreign to him and therefore scary. He was despondent that Doreen was abandoning him because she chose a different path and a spouse that was anathema to his way of life. I think this is a common reaction for parents even if they are not Holocaust survivors.

The reconciliation of Doreen and Max began when Doreen came to his apartment the night Faith was killed while saving her grandson. In that conversation the seeds were planted for the slow repair of the father and daughter relationship. In my mind there was no other seminal conversation and there was no need for one. Max, in slow evolution, came to terms with the fact that he may not have gotten everything he had originally wanted but he got to keep the most important thing-his family's legacy. Over time people come to terms with realities. I wanted Max to show his acceptance of Doreen and Ty by actions later and not any one conversation.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

There was quite a bit of tragedy in Doreen and Ty's life. How did this add to the overall story?

Every life has its share of tragedy. Max's life had great tragedies and great gifts. Doreen and Ty's life together had tragedies as well. But the tragedies made these characters richer people and of course stronger people. The point is not what tragedy you experience, but how you cope with it. I wanted Doreen, as the main character, to cope with her misfortunes in a sensitive and powerful way--using skills and a sense of humor not unlike her father's. The father and daughter had much in common. Yes Doreen had to deal with death, but she also enjoyed intense friendships and many different kinds of love and success.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

Tell us a little more about how luck plays into this novel.

Luck is a central theme in this novel. The brothers, Max and Sam, believed luck was the supreme force on earth. Luck played an enormous role in their lives and in the lives of the generations after them. It saved them during the war and helped them establish new families in America. Luck brought Doreen to Ty and luck saved her son. Luck influenced Regina's life or at least so she thought. Luck or the lack thereof shapes each of our destinies and I hope that came across in my novel.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

I felt that the message you wanted readers to take away is that we must always remember the mistakes of our past, no matter how horrific; in order to honor those we have lost. Also, that these "ghosts" make us who we are and how we see the world. Am I close?

We all have a place in history. We can either learn from our family or even national history and build something better after gleaning lessons-- or ignore our past. If we don't learn from the past we usually fail to move forward successfully. Doreen was charged with remembering her past so she could try and build a better present-- all while remembering her relatives who were less fortunate. She learned about intolerance and hate but also about loyalty and compassion from the stories that she heard of her family's past. She learned to sense other people's emotions and be able to utilize a heightened intuition in dealing with other human beings and complicated situations. She also learned to be levelheaded and practical. She learned to laugh.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson

Can you tell us anything about your current writing projects?

I am working on a novel set in 1974 wherein a forty-year-old single New York woman adopts a toddler. Her life changes drastically and I explore the ramifications of her unusual decision upon her family, friends, work and love life.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Kay Mupetson