Katy
asked
Janet Fitch:
White Oleander is one of my most beloved books, I read it every spring. It taught me a lot as a human and a baby writer. I love and I hate Ingrid. I'm fascinated by her. I'd love to know more about where she came from, what created such an unlikely and extraordinary person. Other than the tiny titbits offered in the book, is there anything you can share about her family/upbringing?
Janet Fitch
Hi Katy!
My apologies at the tardiness of this response. Completing the new book has had me underwater until recently. Thank you for your kind comments on White Oleander. I had a backstory section of Ingrid's but it never fit, anywhere I put it it, it killed the story. But her parents were from Sweden, the mother a very dramatic stage actress, the father the mentally unstable son of a Swedish shipbuilding family. They were sent to America during WWII, the family basically paid him to stay away. They ended up buying a dairy farm in Oregon, their little utopia. Which the father ran like his own little kingdom. The mother was a drunk who drowned in the cow pond when Ingrid was 13. She has a sister, a housewife in florida. Ingrid was the father's favorite, and there was some kind of sexual inappropriateness with the father which was never disclosed.
My apologies at the tardiness of this response. Completing the new book has had me underwater until recently. Thank you for your kind comments on White Oleander. I had a backstory section of Ingrid's but it never fit, anywhere I put it it, it killed the story. But her parents were from Sweden, the mother a very dramatic stage actress, the father the mentally unstable son of a Swedish shipbuilding family. They were sent to America during WWII, the family basically paid him to stay away. They ended up buying a dairy farm in Oregon, their little utopia. Which the father ran like his own little kingdom. The mother was a drunk who drowned in the cow pond when Ingrid was 13. She has a sister, a housewife in florida. Ingrid was the father's favorite, and there was some kind of sexual inappropriateness with the father which was never disclosed.
More Answered Questions
Jackie
asked
Janet Fitch:
Hi Janet, I read White Oleander as a teenager, and it made me want to become a foster parent. Now, in my 30s, my husband and I are training to welcome our first foster child. What do you hope prospective foster parents learn from your book? What is your own experience with foster care?
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
Learn more