Frederic’s answer to “In your most recent book why do you refrain from using names?” > Likes and Comments
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You're certainly welcome, Jessica! Thank YOU for reading the book--I'm delighted that you enjoyed it!
Which is why I kept morphing the image of Grandmother in my mind! At times she was a British Maggie or Mollie, but she could have been an Italian Maria, a German Margarethe, or even a Japanese Michiko!
I talked to a reader last Sunday who is absolutely convinced the book is set in England, and the pilot is German. I've had readers who think it's a Scandinavian country, one who was sure it was Japan . . .
My mind went to *all* of those places. And sometimes a mixture. I had small town Midwestern neighbor ladies nosing around the gardens and gossip, Germanic Major, and British mother waiting at home with the baby. But I kept coming back to Grandmother was Japanese, even if Grandfather might not have been. Blending of East and West, just like in "Empire of the Sun."
That's a great approach to it! I think you've captured the spirit of how to read the book. The emotional truths and universal relationships are more important than the precise geographic details. Truth be told, you can find evidence in the story that pretty much rules out any known country!
That's what I thought! Thanks for explaining.
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Frederic
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Jun 28, 2016 06:20PM
You're certainly welcome, Jessica! Thank YOU for reading the book--I'm delighted that you enjoyed it!
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Which is why I kept morphing the image of Grandmother in my mind! At times she was a British Maggie or Mollie, but she could have been an Italian Maria, a German Margarethe, or even a Japanese Michiko!
I talked to a reader last Sunday who is absolutely convinced the book is set in England, and the pilot is German. I've had readers who think it's a Scandinavian country, one who was sure it was Japan . . .
My mind went to *all* of those places. And sometimes a mixture. I had small town Midwestern neighbor ladies nosing around the gardens and gossip, Germanic Major, and British mother waiting at home with the baby. But I kept coming back to Grandmother was Japanese, even if Grandfather might not have been. Blending of East and West, just like in "Empire of the Sun."
That's a great approach to it! I think you've captured the spirit of how to read the book. The emotional truths and universal relationships are more important than the precise geographic details. Truth be told, you can find evidence in the story that pretty much rules out any known country!
That's what I thought! Thanks for explaining.
