James
asked
Scott Hawkins:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Some serious questions!
- What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
- Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld? (I forget what you named it)
- A super pedantic point: You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy', was this just meant to be part of the healing catalog? (hide spoiler)]
- What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
- Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld? (I forget what you named it)
- A super pedantic point: You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy', was this just meant to be part of the healing catalog? (hide spoiler)]
Scott Hawkins
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Hey James,
What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
Margaret had a couple of purposes. The first one is kind of spoilery for a sequel I may never write. Read this paragraph at your discretion, I guess. Margaret was a research project. The main reason Father kept killing Margaret over and over was that she was building a map of the path back from the Forgotten Lands. The idea was that if Father ever got killed in a way he didn't approve of, Margaret could help him find his way back to the world of the living.
Second, Margaret was a warning. Remember in the end how she tells Carolyn a whole bunch of stuff like "we're sisters, you and I" and "you're like me now". The point of all that was that Carolyn was in serious danger of reaching no-going-back levels of dissociation (or whatever the medical term is). Becoming like Margaret, in other words. Father was, in his own way, trying to point her away from that. Steve was the carrot in this endeavor, Margaret was the stick.
Also, I would argue that aving somebody around that you could send to ask dead people questions would definitely come in handy sometimes.
Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld?
Yeah, good question. I sweated that a little bit. There is an answer in the text, but it's kind of buried. Remember, Father got killed in the Library. And, as we learn later, the Library is a separate universe. As such, it has its own afterlife.
When they're all standing around at the end chapter 1, somebody asks Margaret what happens if you die inside the Library. She dances around the question because it's one of the secrets of her catalog, but she doess say something along the lines of "when you die inside the library, it's different." At that point Carolyn interrupts and aggressively changes the subject, because the line of questioning is a little too close for comfort (this is around page 19 in the trade paperback version)
You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy'
It's probably a distinct catalog, but not a very big one. Father didn't spend much time on mercy--maybe like a couple lines on the back of a CVS receipt, or something. But it had to be shelved somewhere.
Michael is in charge of the catalog of "mathematics and cooking" for similar reasons. (hide spoiler)]
What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
Margaret had a couple of purposes. The first one is kind of spoilery for a sequel I may never write. Read this paragraph at your discretion, I guess. Margaret was a research project. The main reason Father kept killing Margaret over and over was that she was building a map of the path back from the Forgotten Lands. The idea was that if Father ever got killed in a way he didn't approve of, Margaret could help him find his way back to the world of the living.
Second, Margaret was a warning. Remember in the end how she tells Carolyn a whole bunch of stuff like "we're sisters, you and I" and "you're like me now". The point of all that was that Carolyn was in serious danger of reaching no-going-back levels of dissociation (or whatever the medical term is). Becoming like Margaret, in other words. Father was, in his own way, trying to point her away from that. Steve was the carrot in this endeavor, Margaret was the stick.
Also, I would argue that aving somebody around that you could send to ask dead people questions would definitely come in handy sometimes.
Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld?
Yeah, good question. I sweated that a little bit. There is an answer in the text, but it's kind of buried. Remember, Father got killed in the Library. And, as we learn later, the Library is a separate universe. As such, it has its own afterlife.
When they're all standing around at the end chapter 1, somebody asks Margaret what happens if you die inside the Library. She dances around the question because it's one of the secrets of her catalog, but she doess say something along the lines of "when you die inside the library, it's different." At that point Carolyn interrupts and aggressively changes the subject, because the line of questioning is a little too close for comfort (this is around page 19 in the trade paperback version)
You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy'
It's probably a distinct catalog, but not a very big one. Father didn't spend much time on mercy--maybe like a couple lines on the back of a CVS receipt, or something. But it had to be shelved somewhere.
Michael is in charge of the catalog of "mathematics and cooking" for similar reasons. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Naomi
asked
Scott Hawkins:
Thanks for answering! I agree about the David/Carolyn scene, and I think it was handled really well. I actually felt that the bull scene was a lot more shocking. I also think the book is more dark fantasy than horror. How did you know when to make the switch from writing books for 'the drawer' to writing one that you felt was good enough to try and get published? Thanks!
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





Feb 22, 2019 07:30AM · flag