Ask the Author: Rumaan Alam
Answered Questions (5)
Rumaan Alam
She's a friend of mine. The book comes out in January! It's great.
Rumaan Alam
Buy the New York Times. Read any two sentences on the front page.
Rumaan Alam
I began working with only an idea - the notion of a friendship at a crossroads - and quickly realized that I needed a map, an outline. The challenge was to dramatize this scenario with some economy; I had no desire to write a book that covered 26 years (the period, in total, that my book covers) from start to finish, and I can't imagine who would want to read such a book, which would have to be 40,000 pages. Because my primary interest was the relationship between these two women, its everyday quality, I wanted to stick to mundane moments. Thus the big milestones in their lives in this period - getting married, having children - are secondary; the book barely covers them, but skips around in time so that I get to include them. I ended up with a novel that covers a fairly brief period (a few months), then leaps ahead in time not once but twice. But that's one of the great things about the novel as a form; there's no particular rule that you can't spend ten pages on half an hour of action, and cover five years in one paragraph.
Rumaan Alam
I'm obviously delighted when readers who are women feel I've correctly depicted an experience that feels true to them and their own lives. But it bears pointing out that there are writers who write beautifully and imaginatively about life on Mars, about ancient history, about faraway lands, about animals. That's what writers do: they lie! I undoubtedly stole many of the details from observing the women in my life (There have been a lot! friends, colleagues, bosses; I've spent my life among women). But this book isn't based on anyone I know; it's all a lie. Fiction is just a fancy word for lie.
Rumaan Alam
I began working on this book quite a while ago now, which I only know because I uncovered an old notebook in which I had sketched out the plot. Though much changed by the time I wrote the thing, the title did not. I liked the simple, summary quality of the title, and while I don't want to get too into detail at the risk of a "spoiler," there is, in the book, some deeper context that explains the title. It's snappy, the title, but can seem reductive. I hope reading the book will reveal that there's more to it than meets the eye. As for the cover, I can take no credit whatsoever! I have been so fortunate throughout the publishing process to work with brilliantly talented experts. Sara Wood, who designed this cover, is just another of the brilliantly talented experts involved in this book's life. I'm so lucky. It's not my work so I feel unembarrassed to say: it's a great cover.
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