Emma Garman

Emma Garman, a Brighton-based writer and critic, has been a columnist for The Paris Review and a contributor to Literary Review, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, and History News Network. She has an MA in creative writing from the City College of New York and an MA in literature from Queen Mary University of London.

Garman's debut novel is The Kindness of Strangers.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

One reader called the title ironic—meaning, I guess, that some very unkind acts are committed in the story, which is true! But I see the title as having a double meaning. Strangers can be dangerous, but so can those we know most intimately. And in The Kindness of Strangers, both possibilities play out. Ultimately, the title gestures to the idea of found family. In the novel, a disparate group—individuals of different ages, class backgrounds, nationalities, sexes and sexualities—end up living together and forming lifelong bonds.

What's in a name?

I love over-the-top Dickensian names that broadcast exactly what we, the readers, are meant to think. But I deliberately chose unobtrusive names that I hope seem natural, almost invisible, while still feeling apt to the characters. The name of Honor, the less-than-honorable landlady at the center of the story, does carry a touch of irony. But more significantly, nearly everyone in the story has changed their given name, to a greater or lesser degree. Some use everyday nicknames and some (those with the most to hide) have renamed themselves to obscure their pasts.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings are the hardest task in the world! Not only does it take incredible motivation to start writing a story (for me, at least), the possibilities are infinite, so choosing an approach is daunting. In comparison, I find endings a pleasure to write. By then, I know the characters inside-out, while the possible outcomes are limited by what’s come before. I change beginnings a lot, constantly going back and retrofitting according to the dictates of the story. Endings tend to be written once and left alone.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I find this question fascinating, because I don’t think it can be answered with honesty or objectivity. Of course, some writers intentionally base characters on themselves, and I definitely don’t do that. But do I, subconsciously or otherwise, transfer some of my behaviors and attitudes to my characters? Almost certainly yes. How can you not?

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

For this novel, the atmosphere, built environment, history, and culture of London was a huge influence. The city is ever-changing and modernizing and yet all the old elements remain, both literally in the form of centuries-old streets, and figuratively with the resonances, ghosts, and memories of the past.

Visit Emma Garman's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Kindness of Strangers.

Writers Read: Emma Garman.

--Marshal Zeringue