Alexandra Chang's new novel is Days of Distraction.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Days of Distraction?Visit Alexandra Chang's website.
A: I drew a lot from my own life. Like the narrator, I used to work as a technology reporter, and I moved across the country with my then-boyfriend, now husband. I was a few years out from those experiences, and was interested in fictionalizing what I’d experienced. From there, it took its own shape.
Q: How would you describe the relationship between your narrator and her boyfriend?
A: The relationship, like most relationships, changes and fluctuates through time. At times it’s loving and healthy, and then there are moments when it’s fraught. They go through the bumps and trials of being in an intimate relationship, having their lives so intertwined. Those struggles come up.
For the narrator, she starts to question the relationship after having moved across the country for her boyfriend. It’s an act to her that carries a lot of meaning, and puts weight, almost pressure, on the relationship.
Overall, they have a decently healthy but...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue