Garrett asked Chris Delyani:

If authors 'covered' novels, the way musicians cover songs, which covered novel would you be most excited to read?

Chris Delyani Hi Garrett,

I’ve read a couple of novels that fit your description. One is Jean Rhys’s “Wide Sargasso Sea,” in which the author tells the story from the point of view of Bertha, the mysterious woman famously locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” Another is “A Thousand Acres,” by Jane Smiley, who reimagines the story of Shakespeare’s King Lear, except the year is 1979 and the kingdom is a plot of choice land in Iowa. In both cases, the author presents an original story that deepens the meaning of the original.

I must confess that my first novel, “The Love Thing,” can be seen as a cover for Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice.” “A gay Pride & Prejudice set in San Francisco in the year 2000” made for a decent elevator pitch (or so I thought), and so I wrote the story from there. With each rewrite, I found myself relying less on Austen and more on my own instincts. I’m especially proud of the character of Greg’s landlord, who I’d intended to model after Mr. Collins in P&P but wound up with someone I can proudly call my own character.

And, now to answer your question: the ‘covered’ novel I’d be most likely to read would be an update of Edith Wharton’s “The Custom of the Country.” It’s a bleak, even terrifying story, but the tale of a social climber—beautiful, cunning, amoral, and above all ravenous for money and fame—is a story that I think would fit our current time. It would take a talented writer to pull it off—and not only talented, but courageous. It takes courage to say what needs to be said.

Thanks for asking! Happy to answer any other questions you may have.

Chris

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