Bonnie Pipkin's new novel is Aftercare Instructions. From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:Q: How did you come up with the idea for Aftercare Instructions, and for your main character, Genesis?Visit Bonnie Pipkin's website.
A: I started writing the novel while I was in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I knew I wanted to tackle the topic of abortion, but do it in a way that felt like one piece of the larger picture. Having an abortion doesn’t have to define your existence. It is something you must process and heal from, but it’s not the whole story.
The first scene of the book came to me as the starting point: that a girl would have an abortion and her boyfriend would leave her during the procedure. After that, I had to learn who she was and what motivated her beyond that choice.
Q: In an interview with School Library Journal, you said of your decision to place your character's abortion before the story starts, "It was really important to me that the choice never be questioned and to approach this topic without shame." What has been the response to how you handled the issue of abortion in the book?
A: Of course there are people who are maybe seeking out the journey-to-the-choice perspective in a novel, but...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue