Basking in Basque

Lou Ann writes:

I recently reread Elixir, which is set in the Basque region of France and Spain. I have lived in Basque Spain for over 25 years, and there are some things in your book that do not ring true.

You captured accurately the spirit of the Basque people, the land, the surfing, the architecture, and even the existence of caves and herbal medicine traditions.

Your character Inyakie and his father are very believable. So is the mother. Their last name, Dupin, is not a Basque name, rather French. A short Basque name would be Ochoa. (Other Basque names are long, like Bedialauneta and Larrañaga.)  You are probably aware that Inyakie is spelled Iñaki, but I understand your "Americanization" of it for printing and pronunciation reasons.

I know this is a work of fiction, but it would be much more believable with just a few details changed for future editions. One would be that the Basque men in your book have very dark eyes. Actually, the most typical color for Basque eyes is blue. They have dark hair,

beautiful rosy skin, and blue eyes. Some Basques, from the Spanish part, are blond and blue-eyed.

You have the young men wearing traditional Basque dress. You NEVER find young men dressed like that here, except for costumes during fiestas. They don't wear bandanas or berets, and they especially would not wear the homespun-looking blouse and trousers.

Now, I live in a Basque village in the mountains, among people who have cows and sheep. ONE of our elderly neighbors wears the traditional garb. All the rest of them wear jeans.

Old men wear berets. No one under 60 wears a beret. The gendarmes (French police) wear regular police clothing, and the Basque police (Ertxaina) wear red berets as part of their uniforms. (By the way, I loved your portrayal of the French policeman. Very true-to-life.)

Elixir is a page-turner, especially since I live here and am familiar with the surfing, countryside, and the people. I loved it!

Dear Lou Ann,

You are the first American who has read this who has lived in the Basque country, and the intimate connection you showed with the places and the characters really made my day.

I do appreciate your candid comments regarding those several issues. While I do not agree with some of them, the fact that you would read with such an eye to detail confirms your deep connection to the story. And for this I am indeed most grateful.

I started going to the Basque country the year I started writing, the year I came to faith – 1979. I was looking for a place where I could surf and write the climax to my first book, and I had heard that the Basque coast had some great waves.

I drove down from Dusseldorf, where I was living, a journey of some eleven hundred miles. I have returned there almost every year, and at one point planned to live there when it became possible to support us from the writing.

Then Oxford offered Isabella a chance to do her doctorate, and we moved to the UK instead. I missed the chance to live in the Basque country, and yet am certain that God's hand was upon our relocation to Oxford. We are where we are meant to be.