Emancipating Alice

by Ada Winder

  How did you think of those characters?

  The characters kind of populated themselves, inspired by me being a witness to some unhappy relationships. The main characters–Alice and George–showed up clearly when it was only about them as a short story. Then in planning the novel, others presented themselves–their children for example. Then of course, a few unplanned ones sort of came out of nowhere while writing, letting me know that this story was part of their story too, and for some, they ended up having a much larger part in how things played out than I imagined when they first showed up.

  Do you have a favourite character in the book?

  I do actually, and it ended up being one of those unplanned characters: Miriam, George’s sister. She’s sort of like me–a bit odd, quirky. But then again, all the women in the novel are sort of like me one way or another.

  How long did it take you to write?

  I wrote the first draft in under a month. But at some point, I realized I didn’t like the ending; it struck me as wrong. I had to let it sit as my subconscious worked on it. Then about two years later, how it should end–and how I should get there–became clear.

  How many rewrites did it take you?

  There was just that one major rewrite with the requisite adding and subtracting of elements to match the new ending. From there it was just editing. I have to say, this is the only long project that came to me almost ‘full-grown,’ and I’m waiting, hoping to have such an experience again.

  Who are your favourite authors / influences?

  I read Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment some months before I wrote Emancipating Alice and fell madly in love with his writing, the way he delved into psychology. I also read Richard Flanagan’s The Sound of One Hand Clapping a few years before writing the novel and it blew my mind; it was the most beautiful, moving book I’d ever read. The author weaved in the backgrounds of its main characters–childhood events and various traumas–so that no matter how they acted, or what terrible things they did, you understood.

  The way I wrote Emancipating Alice was influenced by me wanting desperately to present characters similarly–to give a hint or more as to why characters acted the way they did, why they would respond one way versus another, what affect their choices had on them. My goal was to have their actions understandable–no matter how ‘bad’ or ‘evil,’ or even banal. I can’t say if I succeeded or not, but I hope I did them some justice.

  I guess I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the short story: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman–that was probably an influence as well. And I’m also a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, but I’m not sure if he got in there.

  Who would play your characters in a movie?

  Meryl Streep would play everyone I think–her first, multi-character movie like Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor.

  But seriously, Meryl Streep. For Alice at least.

  What is your next project and where would we be likely to hear about them?

  I have short stories and novels in the works, and I will most likely post any updates on my Facebook author page and on Goodreads.

  ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

  Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria, which has led to his interest in the concept of Nations, individuals and communal culture, some of the central themes of ‘The Three Nations Trilogy.’

  He moved to Hamburg, London, Brighton and Bath, where he is still resident today.

  ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ is his first book and was published in November 2012.

  'Sebastian' in May 2013. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.

  More information at:

  http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/