Tia Obreht's Novel, The Tiger's Wife, Breaks Out

The New York Times on Tuesday, March 15 ran an article on a new, beautifully writen novel that is creating a big stir. In The Tiger's Wife, young Tia Obreht, originally from Bulgaria, wrote about war in an un-specified Balkan country, interweaving it with folk tales about a tiger and a mysterious character called the Deathless Man.  I was very taken by this quote from her, "The other evening I gave a reading, and someone came up to me afterwards and said, ' The Deathless Man is my favorite character!' My immediate reaction was, how do you know about the Deathless Man?  When you're writing, you're working on this private world that becomes more and more real to you, but it's still your own.  And then to discover that other people can access it--in a way that really shocks me."

What resonates with me is how this relates to writing memoir. In Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling, I've told the events of my entering the world of science, come what may, and making a life for myself balancing family and career, still allowing me to uncover the secrets of aging.  But those intimate events and details are shocking to me on the lips of those who read my book and want to ask, "Did Lyle ever write again after that awful challenge of his essay in fifth grade?" or "Do you often think about your student Jo who committed suicide?"  I feel like my own mind has just been x-rayed.  But of course, I said to myself that I was ready for this when I decided to write the memoir.  When the questions come, I still feel shocked, just like Tia Obreht.