Becca
asked
Julia Glass:
Will any of the characters from The Whole World Over be making return appearances in upcoming novels? That's my absolute favorite of all your books. I've read it three times and listened to the audio book twice. I love Greenie and George.
Julia Glass
I'm so glad you love that book, Becca! In some ways, it's my favorite among my own books, too, yet I think some readers are intimidated by its length. (I also think it suffered a bit by coming out in the shadow of "Three Junes"--sort of like following an older sibling who won the prizes and the popularity sweepstakes. You tend to be overlooked!) In fact, I think it may be the most "readable" of all my novels. There's a lot of dialogue and, I like to think, a lot of humor--though there are losses and heartache as well.
I assume you've read "And the Dark Sacred Night," because Walter Kinderman comes back in this latest novel, alongside Fenno McLeod from "Three Junes." Walter is one of those characters I crafted merely to fulfill a function (Greenie's number-one client), yet I quickly found myself "falling in love" with him and giving him a far greater role in the story than I had originally intended. I am not sure whether other characters from that novel will ever return--but as I've learned, these recurrences are unpredictable. Many readers have asked if I'd ever return to Saga's story--which surprised me, because she was such a challenge to bring to life. At one point, I almost gave up on her. (I'd never known anyone affected long-term by head trauma, so I really had to flex my imagination.) Currently I'm at work on a new novel in which, somewhat unexpectedly, a secondary character from "The Widower's Tale" shows up again. The moral: Never say never.
I assume you've read "And the Dark Sacred Night," because Walter Kinderman comes back in this latest novel, alongside Fenno McLeod from "Three Junes." Walter is one of those characters I crafted merely to fulfill a function (Greenie's number-one client), yet I quickly found myself "falling in love" with him and giving him a far greater role in the story than I had originally intended. I am not sure whether other characters from that novel will ever return--but as I've learned, these recurrences are unpredictable. Many readers have asked if I'd ever return to Saga's story--which surprised me, because she was such a challenge to bring to life. At one point, I almost gave up on her. (I'd never known anyone affected long-term by head trauma, so I really had to flex my imagination.) Currently I'm at work on a new novel in which, somewhat unexpectedly, a secondary character from "The Widower's Tale" shows up again. The moral: Never say never.
More Answered Questions
Trina
asked
Julia Glass:
I've been told novellas are the kiss of death. Did you write the Three Junes with a unifying device in mind? Or did you publish them as separate stories, e.g., in The New Yorker? Do you plan to write any more? I was really thrilled to find out that you were the judge in the Faulkner competition for novellas - thank you for giving mine an honorable mention:)
Bianca
asked
Julia Glass:
I reread 'Three Junes' every year, and I adore Malachy Burns which is why I was so excited to see his reappearance in 'And the Dark Sacred Night'. I've read in an interview, though, that you thought you could have written 'Three Junes' better - I'm curious to know what you would've changed or improved on. Would Malachy have survived those rewrites unchanged?
Julia Glass
828 followers
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Jan 30, 2015 08:29AM · flag