Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

[evanovitch]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

in rereading the book, i was struck by the thought that the book ends on a positive note...i take the statement ' He is Risen ' to be the ending, despite the incident with the 'mad' woman which comes after...

was this both for the hope of the new beginning for Jean and for the island...

AND

I was struck by her last interaction with her mother...down to the last minute, the inability of the mom to bend and release some visible emotion....practical to the end , yes, as she takes off her earrings and gives them to Jean, ostensibly as a future cash avenue...but then I flashed back to when we were first introduced to the Mom, and the stating of the fact of her jewellery being a constant on her person, and I choose to see a release of sorts of some emotion by the Mom...a part of her, important as it relates to her character, goes with her daughter...

was this ur intent....

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb]

Originally posted by Margaret Cezaire-Thompson:
[qb]

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb] Okay, I'm back. Ms. Cezair Thompson hasn't reached yet...that's okay.

My question to her is about mother daughter relationships. Monica represents many a Jamaican mother - responsible, strict, somehow, it seems, distrustful of affection because it may lead to weakness in children.

Margaret - would you agree with the above interpretation? From a North American point of view, that kind of motherhood seems on the dysfunctional side - would you agree with that view? [/qb]

MCT - I agree with everything you've said, and yes, you could call it "dysfunctional." But that's a social-science category, and I think you'll agree that there's a lot more to people than can be easily categorized. I think writing fiction is about trying to reveal more than one dimension of a person. While Monica is certainly hard on her daughters (and on herself) can you sort of understand her? And -- is there anything about her you like or admire? I'd be interested in hearing back from you on that. It wouldn't be interesting to write only about perfectly nice people -- if there's such a thing. And I doubt it would be interesting to read either. [/qb]

This is hard to answer. I admire Monica as a cultural icon, a person who resonates a certain kind of Jamaicanness in not only her approach to motherhood, but to life in general and to adversity. But I don't know that I would want her to be my mother. I still get teared-up thinking about how Lana went to Monica's house after driving Jean home, and with such bravado, thinking that her mother MUST accept her this time, and being devastated when she didn't. That was a powerful passage. [/qb]

MCT - It's gratifying to me as the writer to know that you are so affected by tyhe characters I draw and by the things I try to convey. I hope you will like my next book.

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by mountaingal:
[qb] Another question - one that is really fass: How did you get your French name Cezair? [/qb]

MCT - It's actually not French. It's Portuguese by way of Trinidad. It's my maternal grandfather's name. But Cezairs are related to Cesaires (like the Martinique writer Aimee). And my mother always tells me that it came from "Caesar."

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by evanovitch:
[qb] in rereading the book, i was struck by the thought that the book ends on a positive note...i take the statement ' He is Risen ' to be the ending, despite the incident with the 'mad' woman which comes after...

was this both for the hope of the new beginning for Jean and for the island...

MCT -Yes. Though I did this subconsciously, and it has taken you, the reader, to point it out to me. The framing of the story over the 3 days of Easter - from Good Friday through Easter Sunday was intentional however. I was thinking about death and resurrection.
AND

I was struck by her last interaction with her mother...down to the last minute, the inability of the mom to bend and release some visible emotion....practical to the end , yes, as she takes off her earrings and gives them to Jean, ostensibly as a future cash avenue...but then I flashed back to when we were first introduced to the Mom, and the stating of the fact of her jewellery being a constant on her person, and I choose to see a release of sorts of some emotion by the Mom...a part of her, important as it relates to her character, goes with her daughter...

- MCT - My, you are a really good reader of fiction, and this is ever so satisfying to me as the writer. Yes, it's subtle, but you got it. If she bent more than this it wouldn't have been in her character and the novel would have been over-sentimental and unreal, I think.

was this ur intent.... [/qb]

-I didn't have to think about it - MOnica, as a character, just took over while I was writing. honestly, as if she were someone I knew.

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by Margaret Cezaire-Thompson:
[qb]

Originally posted by evanovitch:
[qb] in rereading the book, i was struck by the thought that the book ends on a positive note...i take the statement ' He is Risen ' to be the ending, despite the incident with the 'mad' woman which comes after...

was this both for the hope of the new beginning for Jean and for the island...

MCT -Yes. Though I did this subconsciously, and it has taken you, the reader, to point it out to me. The framing of the story over the 3 days of Easter - from Good Friday through Easter Sunday was intentional however. I was thinking about death and resurrection.
AND

I was struck by her last interaction with her mother...down to the last minute, the inability of the mom to bend and release some visible emotion....practical to the end , yes, as she takes off her earrings and gives them to Jean, ostensibly as a future cash avenue...but then I flashed back to when we were first introduced to the Mom, and the stating of the fact of her jewellery being a constant on her person, and I choose to see a release of sorts of some emotion by the Mom...a part of her, important as it relates to her character, goes with her daughter...

- MCT - My, you are a really good reader of fiction, and this is ever so satisfying to me as the writer. Yes, it's subtle, but you got it. If she bent more than this it wouldn't have been in her character and the novel would have been over-sentimental and unreal, I think.

was this ur intent.... [/qb]

-I didn't have to think about it - MOnica, as a character, just took over while I was writing. honestly, as if she were someone I knew. [/qb]

MCT - I'm logging off for now, but I will continue answering questions to the end of the month. The discussion has been very inspiring for me. Thank you.

[evanovitch]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

I must ask why the choice of burning herself...such a horrible way to die and it to be self-inflicted....is the use of 'fire' with its purification connotation the reason...she sees herself as needing this to attone for the misdeeds as seen by her mom....or is this too much of a stretch for someone, who clearly had 'mental' issues....

i cannot help but draw a parallel between her act as it relates to her mom,however inadvertent it might be, and that of JC and His Father...

[Magician]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

I've read THP twice, and would read it again if it wasn't for the fact that all my friends keep on borrowing it and I can't seem to even get it back!

I've been busy last 5 weeks and I'm sorry I missed this discussion. You've answered some of my questions here already.

I can't wait to see the sequel, or any other work by you, Ms. Thompson.

I have thoroughly enjoyed THP. It has a universal family and many of the characters ramind readers of similar characters in their families. The history aspect has been fantasticly interwoven into the story, and it's a briliant idea.

This book is a true classic.

Thanks for writing it so well>

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by evanovitch:
[qb] I must ask why the choice of burning herself...such a horrible way to die and it to be self-inflicted....is the use of 'fire' with its purification connotation the reason...she sees herself as needing this to attone for the misdeeds as seen by her mom....or is this too much of a stretch for someone, who clearly had 'mental' issues....

i cannot help but draw a parallel between her act as it relates to her mom,however inadvertent it might be, and that of JC and His Father... [/qb]

Fire in literature is one of those things that has several connotations and associations. Lana acts on instinct at that moment, so she isn't thinking about any of those things, but you the reader can see her action in a larger, fuller context and see the symbolism.

[MCT]

Re: Feature Guest: Margaret Cezair-Thompson, May 2004

Originally posted by Magic:
[qb] I've read THP twice, and would read it again if it wasn't for the fact that all my friends keep on borrowing it and I can't seem to even get it back!

I've been busy last 5 weeks and I'm sorry I missed this discussion. You've answered some of my questions here already.

I can't wait to see the sequel, or any other work by you, Ms. Thompson.

MCT- Thank you for your kind words, and I hope you'll enjoy all my future works.

I'm signing off now so that I can, in fact,get back to the novel I'm now writing. It has been a pleasure to discuss the book with all of you. Thank you.

I have thoroughly enjoyed THP. It has a universal family and many of the characters ramind readers of similar characters in their families. The history aspect has been fantasticly interwoven into the story, and it's a briliant idea.

This book is a true classic.

Thanks for writing it so well> [/qb]