In Her Shoes

by Jennifer Weiner

  Experience all of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner’s captivating stories!

  Read Jennifer’s latest novel, a provocative and ultimately empowering tale of a working mother’s slide into addiction, and her struggle to find her way back up again.

  All Fall Down

  * * *

  Read this haunting ghost story about addiction and obligation, secrets and redemption.

  Disconnected

  * * *

  Read this irresistible novel about a young woman trying to make her Hollywood dreams come true.

  The Next Best Thing

  * * *

  Read this eerie short story about a scorned housewife who finds she has a talent for writing memoirs about the deaths of her loved ones—but only so many family members can die of natural causes. . .

  A Memoir of Grief (Continued)

  * * *

  Read this unexpected love story, a timely novel about surrogacy, egg donation, and what it means to be a mother.

  Then Came You

  * * *

  Read this spooky short story about a woman whose late, abusive husband's voice seems to be inhabiting her GPS - and driving her towards danger.

  Recalculating

  * * *

  A short story about what can happen when one restless woman's best laid travel plans go astray. . .

  The Half Life

  * * *

  Read the unforgettable story of a cheating politician’s wife and daughters, who escape to the family beach house to weather the scandal.

  Fly Away Home

  * * *

  A hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure about small-town secrets, and the betrayals and loyalties of two best friends.

  Best Friends Forever

  * * *

  Read the radiantly funny and disarmingly tender sequel to the beloved chick-lit classic, Good in Bed.

  Certain Girls

  * * *

  Read Jennifer’s collection of stories about first loves, breakups, marriage, and the one who got away.

  The Guy Not Taken

  * * *

  An engrossing novel about a picture-perfect Connecticut town disrupted by the murder of a neighborhood mother.

  Goodnight Nobody

  * * *

  Read this frank and funny novel about three women facing new motherhood.

  Little Earthquakes

  * * *

  Read the bestselling, iconic first novel about plus-sized protagonist, Cannie Shapiro that became a national phenomenon.

  Good in Bed

  * * *

  ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY!

  About the Author

  JENNIFER WEINER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, which was made into a major motion picture, and Then Came You. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Philadelphia with her family. To learn more, visit www.jenniferweiner.com.

  Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Author Page

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Jennifer-Weiner

  Author’s Website

  www.jenniferweiner.com

  jenniferweiner.blogspot.com

  Facebok

  facebook.com/JenniferWeiner?ref=ts

  Twitter

  twitter.com/jenniferweiner

  About Atria Books

  Atria Books was launched in April 2002 by publisher Judith Curr as a new hardcover and paperback imprint within Simon & Schuster, Inc. The name Atria (the plural of atrium—a central living space open to the air and sky) reflects our goals as publishers: to create an environment that is always open to new ideas and where our authors and their books can flourish. We look for innovative ways to connect writers and readers, integrating the best practices of traditional publishing with the latest innovations in the digital world. We are committed to publishing a wide range of fiction and nonfiction for readers of all tastes and interests.

  The first book published under the Atria name, The Right Words at the Right Time by Marlo Thomas, became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and since then Atria has gone on to publish more than 185 New York Times bestsellers. Atria is the publishing home to many major bestselling authors including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jude Deveraux, Vince Flynn, T.D. Jakes, Shirley MacLaine, Kate Morton, Jodi Picoult, Sister Souljah, Brad Thor, Jennifer Weiner, Lauren Weisberger, Zane, and Rhonda Byrne, author of the international bestsellers The Secret and The Power.

  In recent years, the imprint has placed a strategic emphasis on publishing for diverse audiences through the acquisition of the African American–oriented press Strebor Books, the launch of Atria Books Español, and co-publishing agreements with Beyond Words Publishers and Cash Money Records. Atria Books also publishes literary fiction and topical nonfiction in trade paperback under the Washington Square Press imprint, and popular fiction and nonfiction under the Emily Bestler Books imprint, launched in 2011.

  Atria—books that entertain and enlighten.

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for discussion for Jennifer Weiner’s In Her Shoes. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

  Many fine books from Washington Square Press feature Readers Club Guides. For a complete listing, or to read the Guides online, visit www.BookClubReader.com.

  A CONVERSATION WITH JENNIFER WEINER

  Q: Tell us a little about how In Her Shoes went from a bestselling book to a major motion picture. How involved were you in the process? What was the most nerve-racking part of the experience? What surprised you the most?

  A: I’m still astonished by how easily In Her Shoes made it from book to film. In the spring of 2002, months before the book was even published, I gave the manuscript to my brother Jake, who works for a production company in Hollywood, with a note saying, “I hope you like this, but I’m not sure it’s a movie.” After all, the major parts are played by women—one of them’s gorgeous, one of them is anything but model-like, and the grandmother’s in her seventies! There are no big parts for men, no chase scenes, no time travel, and parts of the book are set in a retirement community in Florida— not exactly a locale screaming “Film me!”

  But Jake read the book, liked it, and said, “I think there are producers in town who will really identify with this material.” He was very smart about it—he circulated the book to a group of women in powerful places. Many of them had their own sister stories. In fact, the executives at Fox 2000, where the book landed, told me that they had meetings where all of the women at the table sat around asking the question, “Were you Maggie or Rose growing up?”

  Once the book was optioned, I made what may well stand as one of the most mentally healthy decisions of my life. I said, “I’m keeping my hands off this.” I figure, movies tell their stories in a different language than novels do. I don’t know a thing about screen-writing, or how Hollywood works, but I do know novelists who’ve lost years of their lives trying to adapt their own work for the screen, only to have the project scrapped. I decided I’d be better served working on my book, taking care of my baby, and hoping for the best. At that point, “the best” was just having the movie actually made, because it’s very, very common for things to get optioned and never get made—the executive who fell in love with the material left the company, the script never worked out right, the actress who was attached got pregnant or shipped off to rehab, whatever.

  So I sat back and waited, and things quickly moved into the “yeah, right” stage. Jake would call me up and say, “Susannah Grant’s doing the screenplay.” And I’d say, “Yeah, right,” because, come on—the woman who wrote Erin Brockovich and Ever After? Adapting my book? Pinch me already! Then it was, “Cameron Diaz is interested in starring.” And I’d say, “Yeah, right.” Then he’d call to tell me, “Curtis Hanson wants to direct!” And I’d say, “Yeah, right.” I think I’m still in a state o
f pretty total disbelief—first, that the book got optioned; second, that it got turned into a movie; and finally, that it all happened with such an astonishing group of talented people, from the screenwriter and director to the stars!

  As for the most nerve-racking part, I was concerned about the casting of Rose—specifically, Rose’s size. I didn’t want her slimmed down or dumbed down, and I didn’t want her to be the typical Hollywood ugly duckling, someone who looks like Drew Barrymore in bad glasses, and as soon as she takes the glasses off . . . poof, she’s Drew Barrymore!

  I guess in an ideal world they would have cast an unknown plus-size actress who’s been told all her career that she’s too big for this and too big for that, but having an actress as amazing as Toni Collette agree to gain weight for the part was a pretty decent compromise. I’ve been a fan of Toni Collette’s since Muriel’s Wedding, and I was so thrilled when she got the part . . . and even more thrilled to hear the first word back from the set. My sister was an extra during one of the Rose-at-work scenes, and she called me at lunch. “Okay,” she reported, “her butt looks enormous and they’ve got her in these horrible maroon palazzo pants, with this ridiculous hairdo. . . . She looks JUST LIKE YOU!” She was kidding. I think.

  My biggest surprise is that this book is actually a movie. I think I’m going to be in that state of disbelief until I actually see the movie on the screen. The producers asked if I wanted to see a rough cut when I was in Los Angeles on my last book tour, and even though it was tempting, I declined. I want to see it on the big screen, with my Kleenex and my popcorn and my family!

  Q: How did your experience in the film industry compare to your experience in the publishing industry? Were there any aspects of one that you would like to see in the other?

  A: I’ve been so lucky in both the film and the publishing industries, but there are definitely different constraints. When you’re writing a book, nobody cares how big your heroines are, or how old, or how unusual. With movies, it’s all about “Well, who can we cast?” Or, more commonly, “What name actress can we cast to play this role?” Writing is very solitary and insular—it’s just me, the story, and the laptop— whereas movies are enormous collaborative efforts requiring all kinds of fancy scheduling, teamwork, and coordination, and the efforts of thousands of people. I’ll never forget driving to Briny Breezes in Florida— the mobile-home community whose clubhouse the producers were using in one of the scenes—and seeing block after block of trailers, cables, lights, sound trucks, catering tents, cameras, and dozens and dozens of people. “I can’t believe this is all because of something you thought up,” my Nanna said. I couldn’t believe it, either!

  The other thing I noticed about movies versus books is that movies can proceed at what feels like a snail’s pace. Once the set’s been built, the costumes have been chosen, the blocking’s finished, the lights and sound equipment and cameras are all in place, the actors have to do a scene—maybe it’s only a thirty-second scene—over, and over, and over, and over again, bringing the same energy and intensity to the thirty-first take that they brought to the first. Now that I’ve seen bits and pieces of how the movie actually got made, I think I’ve got the easiest job of anyone. I don’t have to worry about the weather, I don’t have to track down permits to get permission to close off a block in Philadelphia, or find a machine that can make it look like it’s snowing in April, or worry about whether the leading lady’s getting along with the director or the guy who’s cast as her husband. All I have to do is sit in front of a laptop and come up with a story.

  Q: Did the process of watching your book become a movie change the way you write?

  A: Not really. I’m not a very visual writer to begin with—the physical descriptions of people and places are always things I really struggle with. I’m more likely to hear how a character sounds in my head than picture how she looks, so it’s not like I’m sitting around thinking of a character who looks exactly like Ashley Judd or Angelina Jolie.

  I haven’t started writing my books with movies in mind, either. I think it’s wonderful when someone in Hollywood sees potential in the finished product, but I think that novelists can get themselves in trouble when they begin tailoring their fiction for the big screen. The books tend to read more like screenplays.

  Q: Will there be a Jennifer Weiner cameo in the film?

  A: Oh, please. I got my whole damn family into this movie!

  Yes, I make a cameo, but I would like to state for the record that I had no hair and makeup before the filming. REPEAT: NO HAIR AND MAKEUP! So when you actually see me walking behind Brooke Smith and Toni Collette in the Italian Market, please keep that in mind. I can—and have—looked much better! I blame the whole thing on my sister. When she was an extra, they did her hair and makeup. What I didn’t know is that Molly was what’s called a featured extra—i.e., one whose face and form you can actually see in the shot; whereas my friend Joanna and I were what is known as back-ground—i.e., “Background! Go!” So no hair and makeup for us.

  My favorite family cameo story, though, is my Nanna. My Nanna has eight grandchildren and I’ve never risen higher than where chronology put me, in the number-five slot. When I found out they’d be filming parts of In Her Shoes in Florida, I figured it was my chance . . . especially after Nanna ignored articles in The Miami Herald and The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and got all excited about the article that appeared in the free newsletter she receives in her retirement community. “Jen,” she told me, “they’re making a movie out of one of your books!” I told her that I knew, and asked if she wanted to be an extra.

  Nanna thought it over. “Well,” she said, “I’m not much of an actress.”

  “That doesn’t matter!” I said, meanwhile noticing that she’d already given herself a speaking role. “You just have to be in the background!”

  She agreed to do it, and after a lot of begging (“Please! She’s my Nanna! And I want to be the number-one grandchild for once in my life!”) Nanna was cast. I flew down to Florida with my mom and my baby to watch my grandmother make her screen debut. It was an incredible thrill. We arrived on set at about six in the morning. Nanna was whisked off to hair and makeup. I felt my stock rising. Then she was escorted to wardrobe and given this lovely green dress, and I felt my stock rising even higher. Finally, they gave her a primo spot on the set, at a table a few feet away from Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine, and I knew I’d finally made it! When they took a break from shooting I snuck onto the set. Nanna threw her arms around me and whispered, “I am so proud of you!” So for one bright and shining moment, I was number one! Of course, a few months later my cousin Rachel had a baby, so I’m currently back down to the number-five slot . . . but I can still hope for a rebound.

  Q: To what extent is your work autobiographical? In Good in Bed, for example, Cannie’s résumé is strikingly similar to your own. How much do you write yourself into a character? Also, how much do you base other characters on the people in your life?

  A. I think that everything I write—whether it’s set in the here-and-now in the United States or takes place in a mythical land that exists only in my imagination—is necessarily going to be influenced by my place in a particular moment in history. The pop-culture references, for example, or the characters’ preoccupation with finding love (in Rose’s case) or stardom (in Maggie’s) by the time they turn thirty very much reflects the pressures exerted on women in the 1980s and 1990s, when I was growing up.

  However, this story is a lot less autobiographical than Good in Bed. I’m not a lawyer or a dog groomer. My grandmother isn’t much like Ella; my mom is one of the sanest people I know; my father vanished in a very different way than Michael Feller did; and my wedding ... well, let’s just say that I welcomed the opportunity to revisit a wedding in fiction and make it full of love, glitch-free and picture perfect, the way real-life weddings don’t always turn out to be.

  But, as always, there are elements of autobiography. Rose’s very specific longing to be
accepted by the right girls in junior high—the ones who have Diet Coke and cut-up carrots for lunch, and who always know the right thing to wear, and the right haircut—is something I remember well from my own days at Henry James Junior High. And Simon Stein, Master of the Menu, instigator of intramural softball, has certain things in common with my husband, Adam, although he’d deny it vigorously.

  And with the characters who have nothing in common with me or my experiences—the senior citizens especially and someone like Lewis, who’s both a different generation and a different gender—I try to imagine who they are, how they’d sound and behave by first trying to hear their voices in my head, and working backward. Once I know how someone sounds—or I have a gesture or a characteristic in my head—it’s a little easier for me to step into their shoes and start to really figure out who they are and how they got that way.