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| On arrival: Lauren Beukes grabbing a bite with a long time friend |
I’m not yet done reading my
signed advance proof of The Shining Girls
that I received attending the Lauren’s junket this part Thursday night at mk
The Restaurant, Chicago. Listening to the reviews about the book from the booksellers
and media in attendance I felt compelled to put down my current read and
promptly get started on The Shining Girls. I’m one of those people who can only
read one book at time and I always prefer to finish what I started before I move on to the next, however
this an exceptional circumstance.
One of the great things for
me attending the event for my fellow South African was (over-)hearing praise
heaped on Lauren about her imagination, writing skill as well as the near
perfect accuracy of locations and historical events in Chicago that she has
weaved into the story. For someone who doesn've live in Chicago, her assiduous research bode well for her in how the
book has been received by those very familiar with the Chicago. She lived in
Old Town Chicago for a about half a year in 2001 which gave her a good feel for
the city. One of the book-review writers even
commented on how after reading the book a few days later she was watching a
program on Chicago on the History Channel, when mention of a historical location was made, she was proud that she already knew of it from The Shining Girls.
Lauren describes her latest
novel as a mystery/thriller with historical references. Also, she chose Chicago
as the setting for The Shining Girls because she wanted to write a time-travel fiction and she wanted to avoid writing about apartheid. By her own admission she took artistic license in two instances
where she warped the historical references slightly to make allowances for the story
to make sense.
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| Autograph please! |
She also spoke about how upon
winning the awards (Arthur C Clark and Kitschies Red Tentacle) for her second
fiction, Zoo City, she felt sabotaged and found she couldn’t write due
to the expectations created. The pressure meant that she procrastinated more
than usual for her until her husband reminded her how this angst was usual for
her at the start of her writing endeavors and, with or without the
awards, it was time for to start writing again. Lauren adds that she’s never had a problem with writer’s
block, only writer’s procrastination.
The book’s official release
is set for April and will be followed up a launch tour in South Africa, London
and North America. Watch this space on how the Chicago leg unfolds…
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| Spending time with some friends before flying to Minnesota |
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