Anne Tyler

From Barnes & Noble Review contributor Cameron Martin's email interview with Anne Tyler, author of Noah's Compass:

Barnes & Noble Review: In the beginning of Noah's Compass, the protagonist, Liam Pennywell, is assaulted during a home break-in and loses his memory of the event. For a time, he's consumed by this gap in his life. What was the inspiration for this conceit and for the focus on memory? Do you think you'd be more or less concerned about losing a memory such as this? Or is Liam's experience the relative equivalent of how you think you'd handle that?

Anne Tyler: One night after I'd gone to bed I heard the house creaking downstairs, but I was too sleepy to investigate. Then I started thinking about how if it were a burglar intent on beaning me, I wouldn't know anyway till I woke up the next morning. And so: no psychological trauma! Except I'd probably try for days to figure out what had happened. (Though perhaps not for as many days as Liam.)

Why that thought gave birth to a whole novel, I'm not sure. I do know that I have been fascinated by the subject of memory all my life. Now that I'm in my sixties, with instances of Alzheimer's disease on both sides of my family, my biggest fear is that I'll end up with no memory whatsoever. Yet I agree with Liam that there is such a thing as remembering too much, and I half admire his resolute refusal to dwell on his past.

BNR: Before he became a school teacher, Liam had trained to be a philosopher, and it's mentioned that he's fond of Epictetus and Arrian. If you had to boil it down to a few key tenets, what's Liam's philosophy on life? And how successful is he at adhering to his beliefs?

AT: I suspect that Liam would be uncomfortable at the thought of...[read on]

--Marshal Zeringue