I should say upfront that my forthcoming novel, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, is NOT about me. Sure, the protagonist is a half-Danish, half-African-American girl who has blue eyes (like me). Sure, the book's set in Portland, OR (where I grew up). And yes, I do really have an Aunt Loretta (whose name I am using in the book with her permission).
The story is not my story. And the story is not about me. That's a fact.
BUT, the novel does reflect my "emotional truths"--As a novel writer, I think that has to be the case. I'm not the girl in the book, but the emotional truth of her experience (as well as that of the other central characters-- the neighborhood boy & the mother's friend) is part of me.
I've been thinking about all of this the past few weeks as the advanced reading copy of my book circulates and the reviews come in. (It's been nerve-wracking--imagine just sending your toddler or your beloved puppy out in the world without supervision and see how it fares.)
I'm glad that so far the reviews have been good. BUT, there's a little part of me that wants some new insight into what I've written--into the "emotional truths" that I've put on the page. "Your book reviewer is not your psychoanalyst," I have to remind myself. Still, I'd love to do an interview with Michael Silverblatt of KCRW's Bookworm--he's so awesome. He's able to surprise writers like Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates with his interpretations.
Or maybe it's just this: I wrote the book not for critique--for thumbs up or thumbs down or x number of stars--but to encourage more story. I think that's what will be most satisfying in the end--hearing from readers about how the story relates to them.
