Miriam Toews on The Flying Troutmans
Miriam Toews grew up in a Mennonite community in Southern Manitoba. She now lives in Winnipeg with her family. Her previous novels include A Boy of Good Breeding and A Complicated Kindness, and her third, The Flying Troutmans, is available now in paperback.
It has been said that the novel could be seen as a sequel to A Complicated Kindness – is that what you intended?
No, I didn’t think of it that way. There are a lot of differences but I suppose some people might think of Hattie as being an older version of Nomi.
What is your attitude towards reading reviews of your work – from either professional critics, or from your readers?
Well, I try to avoid doing it. It’s great when the reviews are good, obviously, but it’s hard to read the bad ones. It’s getting easier and easier, though. And sometimes they’re even helpful. Mostly, though, they should be avoided.
How did your upbringing affect the themes of your work?
Well, I was raised as a Mennonite in a small town, so that, clearly, has affected some of my work. I was raised by loving parents but my father suffered from mental illness and would go through serious bouts of depression when he would, essentially, disappear. I think that reality has affected some of my themes.
How did becoming a parent yourself impact your work or your attitude to it?
Well, I realized how strong one’s love for one’s kids can be and also how easy it is to make mistakes. I realized how incredibly resilient and funny and profound kids, especially teenagers, can be.
Do you ever imagine your work being adapted for film or television? If so, do you have a ‘dream’ cast or director?
Some of my books are in the process of being adapted for film. Sarah Gavron is set to direct A Complicated Kindness, and I’m really happy about that. I think she’ll do an amazing job. On the other hand, so many of these decisions are out of my hands, so I don’t honestly spend much time thinking about it. I kind of like the idea of unknown actors playing the roles of my characters.
Are there any authors that you particularly like or dislike being compared to?
Somebody once compared me to Kurt Vonnegut and that blew me away. Very thrilling. But, of course, it’s not true. He’s a genius.
Did you write this novel with the specific aim of trying to help others deal with difficult family or emotional issues, or were you simply trying to tell an effective story?
Definitely simply trying to tell an effective story. If, along the way, it helps others to deal with some of those issues, that’s great.
Do you have a favourite character in the novel? Were any particularly difficult to write?
I like Logan and Thebes. They’re a little bit like my own kids, but more complicated because of their fictional issues. Mark, Hattie’s boyfriend, was probably the most difficult to write. He doesn’t show up that often but I didn’t want him to be a cliche of a cad.
How has what you are working on now been affected by the success of The Flying Troutmans?
Well, I’m not sure. It takes me a while to work up the head of steam required to write a novel and part of that process is distancing myself from the ones that come before it.
You can download a reading guide for the book here on Bookhugger.
