“Even so, as though greeting an old friend, I turned to admire the garden and, as always, took pleasure in the way the blanket of greenery and flowers undulated in graceful lines all the way to the wall that ran along the perimeter of the estate.” (385) How does the Trellis house function as a character of its own in Vigil? What does it have in common with other memorable houses in literature—like Manderley in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca or Thorn-field in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre? What does the house represent to each of the protagonists?
How does the closing image of the child at the sewing machine affect you as a reader? Who is this child? What does she represent to Ana? How does Ana’s calling her “mija,”—“my daughter”—in the same manner that her mother used to speak to her complicate the identity of this anonymous girl? How is her sudden appearance connected to Ana’s own recent discovery of the baby she will deliver?
A CONVERSATION WITH CECILIA SAMARTIN
You fled Cuba and arrived in the United States with your family at an early age. To what extent do you feel a kinship with characters like Ana, who find themselves separated from their cultural heritage and place of birth?
I relate in many ways to people who have left their countries regardless of which country they may be from, especially if they were forced to leave because of war or political turmoil. Of course, Ana experienced a tragedy far worse than anything I ever experienced. I have a great admiration for her because despite the horrors she witnessed, she remained open and relied on her spiritual strength to guide her and keep her belief in the goodness of mankind alive. I don’t think I could have been as noble and courageous under similar circumstances.
What kind of research did you do about the religious formation of a character like Ana, who intends to become a nun?
I briefly attended a convent school when I was a teenager, but I knew that my memory of this wasn’t enough. Fortunately, there is a Carmelite convent very close to my home, and I contacted one of the sisters, Sister S., who was kind enough to speak with me candidly about her life as a nun and to offer me the opportunity to spend some time at the convent. I will always cherish the day I spent with the sisters from sun up to sun down, as though I were a novice. It was an extraordinary experience that gave me some wonderful insights, not just for the book, but for life. Sister S. has become a dear friend, and I maintain a connection with the convent that I hope will last for a very long time.
Why did you decide to set the opening scenes of Vigil in El Salvador?
As Ana was looking back on her life, it made sense to me that she would begin in El Salvador, the place where her story began. At the beginning of the novel she is feeling vulnerable and afraid, and I’ve found that people often remember back to times in their life when they feel similarly. It’s a natural reaction, especially when it comes to loss. When people prepare themselves for the loss of a loved one, they remember previous losses and in some way experience them all over again.
How does your training as a psychotherapist inform your writing about relationships?
So much of my work with clients focuses on the strength and health of their relationships. In fact, my discipline of marriage and family therapy is considered to be one that focuses most intensely on relationships, and I guess it’s only natural that my stories and characters rely heavily on relational issues. But even as a child I was fascinated by relationships, which led me to become a therapist, which then inspired me to write novels, so it all works together.
With its grandeur, hired help, and gothic feel, the Trellis estate seems anachronistic in many ways. At any point were you tempted to set your novel in an earlier era?
I was never tempted to set the novel earlier because I wanted to include issues related to the civil war in El Salvador. If Ana was to be in her early forties at the conclusion of the novel, I was tied to a current time frame. Nevertheless, as I wrote Vigil, I got the sense that the Trellis family was living in a bubble or a time capsule of sorts. I think this stemmed from the fact that they all had their hurts and lingering regrets that kept them distant from one another and stuck in their misery. It felt like somebody needed to open a window and let in some fresh air, which thankfully Ana was finally able to do, literally and figuratively, but it took her a while.
What led you to weave Ana’s memories of her childhood in El Salvador and her past at the Trellis home with scenes set in the present day?
I see life as a circular rather than linear journey. Ana’s memories are multilayered and tangential, as I believe they are for most of us. Experience prompts us to think back on a similar experience, which reminds us of another, and yet another. In this way, the richness of the present moment is colored by the past, and it’s beyond what a simple phrase, no matter how well crafted, can express. I was hoping to offer a glimpse of this complexity without interrupting the momentum of the narrative too much.
Ana’s mother haunts Vigil. Did you intend her to be a voice from Ana’s past, or a real-life spirit in the literary tradition of magic realism?
Both. Ana sanctified the memory of her mother and she continued to influence her life in a powerful way, even after she died. I wanted readers to understand that over time Ana had internalized her mother’s strength, wisdom, and courage. She had become the best of who her mother had been, and eventually she was able to grow beyond her, so that had she lived, Ana’s mother would have been able to learn quite a bit from her daughter.
At what point in your composition of Vigil did you decide that the explanation for Ana’s physical deterioration during Adam Trellis’s illness would have a joyous rather than tragic outcome?
I knew that I wanted the story to evolve in this direction very early in the writing of Vigil. I’m rather shameless about my preference for happy endings, but I don’t want them to be too predictable because that isn’t how I’ve experienced happiness in my life. I have found happiness to be quite tricky and unpredictable, and often it disguises itself as trouble at first. Of course, my very wise mother tells me that this is because I overcomplicate things, and she’s probably right!
Vigil is your third work of fiction. What did you learn about yourself as a writer this time around that was entirely new to you?
I learned that when it comes to writing a meaningful and moving story, there are no magic formulas, and it doesn’t get any easier. The process involves plenty of heartache, self-doubt, and a good dose of anxiety. But at least when I stray from my path, I’m better able to realize it and get back on track. I guess that means I’m getting to know my writing self a bit better, and that’s a good thing.
How did you arrive at the closing image of the book, and what do you hope your readers will take away from that arresting final moment?
First, I must credit my talented editors, Amy Tannenbaum and Johanna Castillo, for suggesting that I conclude with a scene that included the sewing cabinet in some way, but I had no idea how to do this at first. Finally, after several days of fruitless pondering, it came to me. On a deeply emotional and spiritual level, throughout the entire novel Ana has been waiting for her mother to return for her while she hides in the sewing cabinet, and this circle needed to be closed. I hope that my readers will take a moment to reflect on the power of maternal love and devotion in their own lives and how this love can give us the strength and courage to rescue ourselves. It is only when Ana learns how to do this for herself that her vigil ends.
TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
Are you interested in knowing more about Cecilia Samartin and her other novels? If so, you may want to visit her website: www.ceciliasamartin.com. Here you can read reviews of her earlier novels, learn more about her life as an author, and read about what inspired her fictional creations.
Ana’s story of finding her true family in the Trellis home is not a unique one. Think about people in your life who are not blood relatives, but who feel like your family. What are the characteristics that make them stand out? How have they become part of your family’s history?
Ask yourself if there are any constants in the types of people who become family—are they usually caregivers, do they tend to be women or men, and how do they interact with other members of the family? You may want to share your thoughts on these important people with members of your book club.
Did the scenes of bloodshed and anguish in Ana’s childhood El Salvador stay with you long after you finished reading Vigil? Would you like to understand more about the civil war that gripped the country? If so, visit: www.pbs.org/itvs/enemiesofwar/story.html to learn about how governments like the United States and the former Soviet Union lent support to both the National Guard and the insurgent-led rebels. This site offers an informative timeline and a detailed explanation about atrocities committed against locals like those in Ana’s home village.
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