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Honor Jones's first novel, sleepfirst of all, the child’s view of the world around her. I know Honor, I am a senior editor Atlanticbecause we are all kids, and reading is a bit like immersing ourselves in our own long-term friendship. I asked some questions about several questions sleepit has come out today. You can buy it here.
Walt Hunter: I think I was one of the first people to read the entire novel - right? You are also an editor and a reporter. For you, what is the difference between writing novels and writing non-fiction?
Honors Jones: Who are you! You gave me the smartest notes. We go back: I will remind you and everyone else that you also read and provide advice on my college papers! I saw the idea from facts to novels that really can’t be worked hard, but I basically think writing is writing - you’re thinking about voice, about structure. What really matters is that you have a purpose: something that needs to be said or done in the text. If so, then there will always be some deciding what the story needs, even if it is not news or history, which is just a requirement of the story itself.
That said, it is difficult to try to exclude my reporter from the sentences. I had to go through a thousand commas in the book. During the editing process, I also accidentally called it "title", which was so many times that it started to become embarrassing.
Walter: When I think of novels, the first thing that comes to mind is your style. What news stories can novels be used for?
honor: One thing it makes you do is write a character’s thoughts and feelings about what is going on, even if she doesn’t understand what’s going on. This is important because the beginning of this book is told from a child's perspective. I also feel like I'm often exploring an idea that I can't argue or defend. Novels are a great place, especially if the idea is weird or inappropriate, or hard to talk about.
Walter: The protagonist Margaret is a keen observer of her world - someone "no lost people" borrowed a sentence from Henry James. We started the book in a wet form in the blackberry bush, and it was a tangible detail!
honor: I know I don't want the kids in this story to be particularly or precocious. She has no exposure to the world of art or thought. She has little knowledge of history or politics. She grew up in the 1990s and my education on her was entirely based on American Girls-Tang books. She has no background on what happened to her at all. But she really struggled to understand it. She may naturally be a keen child, but so is she because she has to do it because she learns she has to protect herself.
And I think this sense of vigilance defines her when she grew up. In the subsequent sections, she changes in all these ways while staying the same person. I was interested in this - how she shakes her history, how many choices she has as an adult are defined by her childhood events, how she learns to be a mother while leaving her daughter behind.
Walter: The novel is also psychologically keen in many ways. For example, we watched the friendship between Margaret and Biddy because it developed over a long period of time. Of course, Margaret’s relationship with her family is the center of the book. What are these long-term connections exploring?
honor: I love writing about this kind of friendship! You may be able to recognize all aspects of the girls we both grew up in Biddy’s role. She is a combination of all my favorite best friends in my life, and is also her own person--bolder than any of us at that age. Biddy is indeed Margaret’s family, someone who has been with her for years. One thing I find out that their relationship releases is that even though Margaret has somehow kept Biddy’s terrible secret, it doesn’t matter. The novel is very focused on the dangers of secrets and the power of disclosure, but Biddy is just love Margaret. She is a character whose truth will not change.
Much of the book is about Margaret trying to understand the people around her, but people don’t really explain themselves. (Margaret didn't - people kept asking her why she got divorced, and she never knew anything to say.) When she found the courage to ask the most important question in that book, the answer she got was very inadequate. I think some readers may find this frustrating and would rather the book constitute the ultimate confrontation and solution. But that's not what I'm interested in. I think trying to understand, not know, know more, know yourself better - that's what it means.
Walter: Part One sleep Set in a New Jersey suburb – the social class has an infinite number of nearly incredible stages. It reminds me of where we grew up on the main line outside of Philadelphia. You manage to sneak in the details (especially the decoration, which is also social etiquette) to reveal the differences. They are meaningful to me journalist’s kids, and his family has never been suitable for the entire environment. I kind of know myself in Margaret - she is not completely comfortable in the heirs and the heirs. But, of course, the book is gentle to the people in it. Why do these people write this place? What have you learned?
honor: In this social world and class, when she grew up and divorced, it really marked that she was an outsider’s business. But, as you said, she always feels like an outsider and an observer. I wanted to show how she studied class as a kid, as if it were just another language. Why did her mother care so much about this particular neighbor? What do they use this pet to convey? It’s interesting for people who write all these signals, they can’t communicate in other ways.
Walter: One scene that comes to mind - sometimes it does get me up, it's a scene at a Brooklyn party where we almost suspect that Margaret's kids might be in danger. There is real suspense, even some horror.
honor: I think the biggest problem with this book is: How do you raise children safely without raising them fear? How much is appropriate vigilance? You should- Can you trust the world? I think this feeling of family horror will be very familiar to many parents. It was a wonderful day on the playground, and then suddenly you looked up and couldn't find the child. He is very good! He was just behind a tree. But you know the worst case immediately. Horror is always an option, and those dark feelings are closely related to the joy and pleasure of raising children. I think there are a lot in the book, too.
Walter: Does the novel have a moral responsibility in moments that represent trauma or repetitive moments? What is that responsibility?
honor: If I think fictional novels are intolerant, it is que. exist sleepFor example, I have to say what happened to Margaret. I have to describe it in simple language. It must happen at the beginning of the book. Her special form of trauma is quieter than many others, for example, without violence. But this is still sinister. Margaret may not understand what is going on, but I hope the readers know. You can imagine a different story: self-doubt of a divorced woman, a mysterious thing, a revelation of memory...but I can't write that book. That would feel dishonest. The mystery was not what she did to her, but what she did to herself afterwards.
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