SOME BOOKS SAY
start a garden, sing to your plants. Some books say join a book club, take music lessons, start a stamp collection, get a pet. Some books say brew your own beer. Some books say try paintball, enter a local trivia competition, take dance lessons, learn to rumba. Some books say listen to James Brown. Some books say give yourself a hug. Some books say when someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go. Some books say let a dog lick your face. Some books say swim naked. Some books say kiss a stranger. Some books say climb a mountain. Some books say overcome a phobia. Some books say change begins with pain. Some books say get busy living or get busy dying. Some books say never say the word
try
. Some books say there's nothing you can't do. Some books say accept your limitations. Some books say don't take no for an answer. Some books say buy a karaoke machine and invite friends over. Some books say learn a new language. Some books say leave no regrets. Some books say beware a person who has nothing to lose. Some books say do no harm. Some books say never cut what can be untied. Some books say admit your mistakes. Some books say you are not your mistakes. Some books say forgive everyone everything. Some books say never criticize what can't be changed. Some books say don't be afraid to say I don't know. Some books say don't bore people with your problems. Some books say when someone asks how you feel, say terrific, never better. Some books say ask questions. Some books say don't ask too many questions. Some books say carry someone. Some books say let yourself be carried. Some books say there's nothing to fear. Some books say it's okay to be afraid. Some books say whistle in the dark. Some books say give more than you take. Some books say God never gives you more than you can take. Some books say God never blinks. Some books say God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Some books say read the Psalms. Some books say if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Some books say choose your life partner carefully. Some books say tape-record your spouse's laughter. Some books say that if you live with a partner, one usually dies first. Some books say surrender. Some books say do not go gently. Some books say recognize that you are lost. Some books say put yourself back together piece by piece. Some books say it's never too late. Some books say it's not unusual to live to ninety. Some books say you will probably be old for a long time. Some books say you can't kiss your own ear. Some books say it's nice to meet someone after a long absence. Some books say reunion is a type of heaven. Some books say there's no good in goodbye. Some books say never say goodbye, better to say see you later, see you soon, see you someday, until we meet again.
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Saying
thank you
is one of the great joys of life. So it truly
is
my pleasure to express gratitude to the following:
Jill Grinberg, my agent, who has believed in my writing since day one.
John Parsley, my editor, and everyone at Little, Brown who helped give life to this book.
The writers whose work raised important questions for me as I wrote this novel: Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, David Richo, Esther and Jerry Hicks, Louise Hay, and Rhonda Byrne.
Martha Collins, whose villanelle “The Story We Know,” one of my favorite poems, was an important trigger for this novel.
Tara Potterveld, for her help with sign language.
Nicole Michels, who waits for me when I fall behind, and our son, Dangiso, the most joyful human being I've ever met.
Finally, of course, Ralphâbest dog in the universe.
Nicholas Montemarano is the author of a story collection,
If the Sky Falls
(a
New York Times
Book Review Editor's Choice), and a debut novel,
A Fine Place
. His fiction has been published in
Esquire, Zoetrope, Tin House,
and
The Pushcart Prize
(2003), and cited as distinguished stories of the year in
The Best American Short Stories
four times
.
He is
Associate
Professor of English at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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“Montemarano is a brilliant illuminator of the outer reaches of hope, a writer unafraid to ask the hardest questions: Is there meaning behind human suffering? Are we responsible, somehow, for the tragedies that befall us? Do we have the power to change our lives? And if not, what's left for us? You'll read this stunning novel compulsively, at first in search of answers, then from a deep and painful affection for the human beings you'll meet in these pages. This is a haunting and extraordinary book.”
âJulie Orringer, author of
How to Breathe Underwater
and
The Invisible Bridge
“A fascinating tale of faith, doubt....An extraordinarily interesting book.”
âCarolyn See,
Washington Post
“I love Nicholas Montemarano's writing. He turns the lights up so bright on the beauty of daily life that the dark places he goes leave you gasping.
The Book of Why
is a breathtaking show of love and hope, of disappearing acts, of restorative reappearances. It is, in a word, magic.”
âRachel DeWoskin, author of
Big Girl Small
“Love and death: our two greatest mysteries. Not many writers have the guts or the skill to take them on at the same time, but Nicholas Montemarano has both. With
The Book of Why,
he's managed a seemingly impossible featâusing language to delineate, with great compassion and precision, that which appears ineffable.”
âRon Currie Jr., author of
Everything Matters!
“Nicholas Montemarano is a brilliant storyteller with a poet's heartâand
The Book of Why
is an intricately constructed narrative, part riveting, part reverie, entirely beautiful. I wanted this novel to last forever, and still I could not bear to put it downâkind of like life itself.”
âClaudia Emerson, Pulitzer Prizeâwinning author of
Late Wife
“
The Book of Why
presents a compulsively readable mystery; it is impossible to resist how persuasively Montemarano plays with the metaphysics of love and desire.”
âDana Spiotta, author of
Stone Arabia
“By turns dark and hopeful, it is a beautiful journey of self-discovery that will inspire readers to question the accepted confines of the world, and leave them pondering the powers of belief.”
â
Booklist
“This is a weighty book that's hard to put down....He writes with stark clarity and an insight that urges you to get outside of yourself (or inside yourself) and think.”
âLindsey Silken,
HelloGiggles
“
The Book of Why,
a moving portrait of a man coming to terms with the death of his beloved âother half,' is the remarkable work of New York writer Nicholas Montemarano....Montemarano dares to peer into the subconscious, to analyze how we process emotions like love, desire, and guilt, and to examine the innermost workings of the human soul....
The Book of Why
is a powerful love story as well as an exploration of the fragility of relationships. Thought-provoking, somber, and yet exquisitely tender, it forces us to confront harsh truths about life...and death.”
â
The Visitor
If the Sky Falls
A Fine Place
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by
What kind of research did you have to do in order to capture the voice of a self-help author and inspirational speaker? What kinds of self-help books did you read? Did you go to see inspirational speakers as part of your research
?
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I was reading self-help books long before I had the idea to write this novel. I read a lot of Wayne Dyer, who influenced the character of Eric Newborn more than any other inspirational speaker. I even went to hear him speak, and he was great. I don't agree with everything he says, but I admire him a lot.
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Self-help books can be easy targets for ridicule because many seem to promote quick, easy fixes and are filled with treacle. What's your view of self-help books and the self-help industry?
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Some are silly, and some promise things they can't deliver, so they're selling false hope, but there
are
some really helpful self-help books. There are so many self-help books and so many people reading them, and this tells me that people are out there looking for helpâfor answers. I feel compassion for anyone trying to improve their lives.
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Are there any self-help or inspirational books you've read that you've found useful and would recommend to readers?
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The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them
by David Richo stands out from most self-help books I've readâand I've read manyâbecause it's realistic. It recognizes that life isn't always fair, that we suffer, and that everything changes, but that we might find peace by accepting these truths. It's a brave, wise, and compassionate book. Most recently, I've fallen in love with Pema Chödrön's books, especially
Taking the Leap
,
When Things Fall Apart
,
and
The Wisdom of No Escape
. She's writing from the Buddhist tradition, so her books are about the practice of mindfulness and trying to accept or even embrace whatever happens.
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Eric Newborn, the narrator of
The Book of Why,
believes that the mind can create and cure disease. By the end of the novel, Eric comes to believe something different. What's your take on this controversial issue?
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There's no question that our thoughts can affect our healthâfor better and for worse. Stress can contribute to high blood pressureâthat's an easy example. Maybe some people have cured disease with positive thinking, who knows, but I think it's risky, even irresponsible, not to try more traditional medical treatment. People, especially in frightening and painful situations, look for help anywhere there's even a glimmer of hope, and I sympathize with that urge.
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Eric believes, at least early in his career, that there are no such things as accidentsâeverything happens for a reason. There are coincidences in the novel that are either signs of synchronicity or signs of Eric's desire for synchronicity. This is another potentially controversial issue, and I'm wondering what you believe about this.
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I'm a storyteller, so I'm interested in how we organize our lives into meaningful narratives. Maybe that makes me extra sensitive to what most people would consider coincidences. Sometimes I believe that there's an order to the universe, a reason behind everything that happens, but other times, especially when faced with tragedy, it's hard to make that case. Most of us want to believe that our lives aren't merely a series of random events. I'm not sure what to believe, but some things have happened to me that I have a hard time calling coincidences.
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Without giving too much away, I want to ask you about reincarnation, which plays a role in
The Book of Why.
Your novel presents the possibility that one character may be the reincarnation of another character. What kind of research did you do about reincarnation? Do you believe in the possibility of reincarnation?
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I've read a lot about reincarnation, and the cases seem within the realm of possibility. I've tried past-life regressionâindividual sessions with a regression therapist and a group session with Brian Weiss, a bestselling author and expert in reincarnation. Those were interesting experiences, but I remained where I amâin this life. Even if we've had previous lives and will have future lives, this is the only one that matters to me.
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There's been a backlash against positive thinkingârecent books like
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
and
Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America.
In what ways do you see
The Book of Why
as in conversation with these books?
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The Book of Why
raises similar questions about positive thinking and the desire for happiness, but allows characters to play them out.
The Book of Why
is way more about questions than answers. My hope is that the novel will evoke compassionâmaybe in a way these books don'tâfor the understandable desire people have to feel happy and safe in a sometimes frightening world.
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How do you balance teaching and writing? Do you find that one informs the other? How?
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Being a college professor gives me more time to write than any other job I could imagine, and I'm grateful for that, but I'm a writer before all else. Teaching is a jobâa very good oneâbut writing is a practice, a calling. I schedule my classes in the afternoon and keep mornings sacredâwriting only. My passion for writing is a big part of what makes me a good teacher. And teaching makes me a better writer because I get to reread and study my favorite stories in a way I might not if I weren't preparing for class.
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Which authors have most influenced your work? Why?
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Many of my favorite booksâ
Jesus' Son, Where I'm Calling From, A Streetcar Named Desire
âdidn't influence my work in ways that I can see, except that they inspired me and raised the bar very high.
To the Lighthouse,
the third time I read it, changed the way I went about writing; it made it clear to me that the sound of prose matters and creates meaning just as much as story. But if I had to pick one book that has had the most influence on my own work, it's
The Things They Carried
by Tim O'Brien. Its prose is graceful and visceral without showing off. Its formâhybrid novel/story collectionâis innovative. It manages to be sincere without being sentimental. And it explores important questions about truth and story-truthâquestions that are important to me.
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What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
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Discover what you do well as a writer, what only
you
can do, and do that. Don't write stories someone else could tell just as well as you. Don't waste time writing about anything other than what's most important to you. Focus on the work, one sentence at a time, and avoid worrying about outcome. You may not be able to control whether you publish or win awards or make a living from your writing, but you can control the work.
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What are you working on now?
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I'm just finishing a new short-story collection called
Like Love Lust,
which explores love, desire, obsession, and addiction. And I'm several hundred pages into a new novel,
The Senator's Children,
about a former senator and presidential candidate whose career and marriage end in scandal.