Q&A with Samantha Bruce-Benjamin discussion
The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
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Samantha
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Jul 20, 2010 07:00AM
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Thank you for your question, Mary. I love the inherent poignancy of the decade: I don’t think, as evidenced by the films and images of that period, that there was ever a more striking age in the last century in terms of elegance and refinement. The silhouette of women’s clothing – languid, refined, mannequin-like – has always reminded me, for some reason, of the ancient Greeks and I certainly think there is an undercurrent of “those whom the Gods love,” coursing throughout the novel. I imagined these characters as gilded idols, before the fall – a world of grace and privilege and traditions that no longer exists, that is entirely extinct, so that a reader could genuinely feel as if he or she were escaping into another world. The decision to focus the action in 1938 was entirely deliberate: I wanted just enough proximity to World War II that a contemporary reader would acknowledge its ominous shadow and just enough distance so that the characters could rest relatively easily in their paradise so that the full force of the tragedy would, hopefully, be keenly felt – both in terms of how the novel plays out for the characters and from a historical vantage point in recognizing that such a way of life was about to die forever, regardless.
I loved the storyline involving Adora's dogs, especially Linford. What inspired this idea for the story?
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Thank you for your question, Isabelle. I envisaged the dogs as lost and discarded souls, outcasts, almost like Adora and Sebastian themselves; animals who, by the very nature of their existence, are dependent upon another person’s kindness to survive and who will die without it; who, hideously, are so often cruelly and disgustingly abused unless someone rescues them. I conceived of the olive grove where the dogs live as a limbo of sorts: in my imagination the house represented purgatory where Adora would atone for her perceived sins, the olive grove her limbo where she and her dogs were kept safe, and the sea is intended to represent paradise. Within the context of the novel, Linford, Adora’s favorite dog and the guardian of the olive grove, figures as the personification of perfect grace. I don’t think there is a more beautiful dog than a greyhound. So, like Sebastian in his fragility and exquisite beauty, it was my idea that whenever Adora was in Linford’s gentle, knowing presence, she felt not only entirely understood, but forgiven, in that he accepts her companionship and asks absolutely nothing of her. He functions not only as her sole friend, but also figures as the most perfect and poignant example of devotion the novel possesses and, to that end, for me, provides its most haunting and enduring metaphor.
I just loved Art of Devotion and I especially love your descriptive and lyrical writing style. As I was reading I could feel the warmth of the sun and smell the olives and so now I am wondering if there are any plans to bring Art of Devotion to the screen and also if you are working on another novel?
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Dear Mary,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read -and to offer such lovely praise of - The Art of Devotion. I am excited to report that, yes, several inquiries have been made regarding turning the novel into a film. I will keep you informed as to how things develop! I am currently honing my second novel, which focuses on a society hostess in the Hamptons in the 1930s.
Thanks so much for your question, Mary - love your photo!
All best wishes,
Samantha
Oh that Hamptons novel sounds wonderful! I will certainly look forward to that as well as the film version of Art of Devotion. Best of luck to you on both fronts!Mary
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Mary"
Thank you so much, Mary!
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Mary"
Thank you so ..."
By the way, I almost forgot to mention that The Next Best Book Club is hosting a month-long discussion in September of The Art of Devotion. I do hope that you'll join in. All best, Samantha
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Wonderful!
