Ann

Ann asked Chris Bohjalian:

I was intrigued by the extensive background on sleep disorders in "The Sleepwalker". As I was reading, I got the impression that you became interested in it because parasomnias are one of the mechanisms by which people end up behaving against their volition - and so you end up with tremendous potential for conflict, as you showed in the Ahlberg's marriage. What made you become interested in that? Thank you.

Chris Bohjalian Originally, I thought I was going to write a book about dreams, that great Freudian abyss. But I had lunch early in my research with a physician at a hospital sleep center, and he had just come from seeing a patient who was a sleepwalker. And so our conversation rather naturally gravitated there. He started to tell me stories of people who sleep cook, sleep drive, sleep jog, and sleep sex -- and I grew interested. When I came across a study of sleep crime, I was hooked. I knew that sleepwalking, not dreams, was what I wanted to write about. Thanks for asking!

More Answered Questions

Marc Chua

Marc Chua asked Chris Bohjalian:

Hey there! What is your favorite type of novel to write: historical fiction(such as the Sandcastle Girls) or contemporary fiction(such as the Flight Attendant)?

Marsha

Marsha asked Chris Bohjalian:

Continuation of previous comment: I feel that you used the stereotypical description of a flight attendant when you created Cassie. Would she have had those same qualities if she had been a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer? I think not. You besmirched the occupation of flight attendant in order to get some sensationalism into your book, and in doing so, you made your novel cheap and predictable.

Stephanie

Stephanie asked Chris Bohjalian:

I attended your author event at the St Louis County Library last night and really enjoyed your talk. You mentioned that you don't know where the characters will take you when you write a book. Do you ever start to root for a character as he/she develops and then have a difficult time letting "bad" things happen to them?

All answers from Chris Bohjalian…

Chris Bohjalian

12,928 followers

To ask Chris Bohjalian a question, please sign up.

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions