Nina Killham: Believe Me
Book Club Discussion

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Where did the idea to write a book from the perspective of a 13-year old boy originate?

It sounds cliché but Nic just started talking to me. I originally conceived of the story in the third person. It was going to be a bit more satirical and distanced. But then one day I heard the first paragraph in my head and ran to the computer. A lot of it poured out in his voice. And the reason for this is that I personally wonder about these questions. I think we all do. Why are there wars? Why are people cruel? Why do people believe such and such? In fact, when we approach the big questions of life, I think we're all 13 year olds at heart.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

When I say that this book is deeply religious I mean that you ask quite a few soul-searching questions. If you don't mind my asking, which side of the debate do you fall on – creation theory or the Bible?

I think you're absolutely right calling it a deeply religious book in the sense that it is trying to discover the essence of religion. The idea of Believe Me stemmed from my own indecision about whether to raise my children with a religious faith. I am a lapsed Catholic. My husband is an atheist. I call him a devout Darwinist. In fact, the germ of this story occurred a couple of years ago when my daughter was about six and she was asking my husband whether heaven existed and he said no and she started crying. After I calmed her down, saying Daddy had his opinions but that didn't necessarily mean that they were true, I came and hissed at him. "You can't deny a six-year-old child heaven." But then I began to wonder, what are the consequences of denying a child a belief in heaven?

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

I felt like there was more to Lucy's discord with Christianity than we were allowed to know. Am I right? Or is she just a true atheist by nature? How did she get this way?

I think that's a very perceptive read of the book. Yes, Lucy has struggled with her decision and has to be quite vigorous in her atheism because it wasn't something she grew up with. As a woman she finds Christianity sexist and I think that is one of her chief beefs with it. Had it been a more egalitarian religion in terms of gender she might not have felt the need to leave it.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

I'm going to make what could be conceived as a controversial statement – I felt that the Porters' were too radically Christian. When the 5-year old son, Jack, says "Because God made it so," in response to Nic's questions of, "why is the sky blue," I felt like perhaps this family took the word of God too literally, to the extreme. This is in direct contract with Nic's mom who is at the end of the other extreme. Did you create this dichotomy on purpose so that Nic would really have to struggle with his choice?

I know what you mean about the Porter's definitive approach to Christianity but I must say I have met people like them. And so I did want to portray a family that I believe exists. And yes, I did seek to create a dichotomy so that it would be a more interesting read. What I wished to avoid was one to be perceived as all good versus all bad. I wanted humor in the book but I also worked for well-rounded characters. And that can sometimes be a difficult juggle.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

I was frustrated by the ending. Without giving much away, I felt that the question of faith and death were left unanswered. Why did you choose to leave the story open to interpretation?

A great question. I wanted the ending to portray real life. And in real life rarely is there complete closure. This is a coming of age story and I wanted Nic to realize that life is open to interpretation. That although many people will be telling him what to believe, in the end it is up to him to make the final decision; ie: his own interpretation.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Do you find it probable that a thirteen-year old boy would be so interested in finding out about God and making a commitment to religion?

If that 13-year old boy has been raised without religion, as Nic has been, yes, I think he would be curious about it. The forbidden fruit would seem, if not sweeter, then certainly worth checking out!

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Fun fact, I'm from Maryland and have lived here most of my life! Why did you choose to set the story in this state?

I was born in Washington DC and have lived in the District, Virginia (I'm a graduate of William and Mary) and Maryland. I went to elementary school in Bethesda. One of the reasons I wanted to set the book in Maryland was that the University of Maryland has a wonderful astronomy department and so I wanted to have Lucy teach there. During one of my trips from London to visit my parents while writing this, I drove around Takoma Park and found Darwin Avenue. Well, it was a perfect sign that that was where Nic had to live!

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Nina Killham

Can you tell us anything about your current writing projects?

Aside from the fact that I'm an internet addict and am having trouble knuckling down? I just finished turning my second novel, Mounting Desire, into a play. The novel is set in L.A. but I set the play in London for a possible British theatre production. I therefore had to change the language from American English to British English and learned, as George Bernard Shaw once famously said, England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

As for novels, I've been working on one about displacement. I've been living in London for almost ten years now. I'm married to an Australian and my children are being brought up in Britain. So we're all a bit confused at this point. Of course it's not just a big international city situation, it's becoming more of a global theme. As there is more mobility, more couples marry across cultures and create third culture children. I was considered a third culture kid myself because my father was in the American Foreign Service and we lived overseas a lot. So it's something I've been dealing with for a long time and I thought I'd finally explore it.