Featured Interview With Barbara Monier
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and have been a resident of the Chicago area for thirty-eight years now. For thirty-two years, I lived in an old house in the Chicago “suburb” of Evanston. My newest novel, Pushing the River, was inspired by real-life events that happened over a four-month period. The book is partly an homage to my time living and raising my family in that house. The house plays a central role; some reviewers have described it as a character in the story.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Possibly Dr. Suess inspired me to write. I began writing at a very early age, literally in crayon, on sheets of notebook paper I stole from my older brother. I illustrated the stories myself, and bound them into little booklets. Mischievous monkeys appeared in a lot of the stories, as well as giraffes – who for some reason were always very wise. I did not read voraciously as a kid, in the way that many writers do, but books had huge meaning to me. A book for children about Helen Keller, for instance, influenced me tremendously. The moment when Helen finally understands the concept of words and spelling – and that this understanding can open up her entire world – I likened that with the power of writing and books. The power to open new worlds.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My answer to this undoubtedly changes, but my favorite books by my favorite authors that come to mind today would be: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Cider House Rules by John Irving, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. There’s a great deal of commonality among them. They are all beautifully written, full of sentences that I lingered on, and read over and over. Each of them incorporates a lot of social commentary and weaves it seamlessly into a captivating story. The overall conception of each of these novels is so breathtaking that I tear up when I even think about them.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I was really honored to have my new novel reviewed for goodreads’ Readers’ Favorite by author Grant Leishman. Let me tell you what he said:
Pushing the River by Barbara Monier is a family drama that highlights many of the difficulties we all face in our busy lives as we try to hold our families together, especially as our children grow and leave the nest to spread their wings. Madeline is a typical suburban middle-aged mother. Now in her mid to late fifties, with her ex-husband departed several years ago and her children grown up and living away, she lives alone in the big, old house she grew up in. Despite its size, Madeline uses just a few rooms, with the remainder still containing the memories and collections of a family’s lifetime. Over a short period of time, Madeline’s solo and lonely existence begins to change. She meets a new man, who then suddenly decides he’s moving in with her and an empty house begins to fill, as first her daughter-in-law and then her daughter-in-law’s pregnant fifteen-year-old sister arrive, seeking help. Suddenly Madeline goes from being all alone to managing a new relationship as well as providing comfort for a teenager and her baby. Madeline faces the upheaval and the associated angst with a mixture of terror and determination as she seeks to “push the river” and meet all her family’s needs and demands, whilst still looking after her own self.
This could well be the story of any modern family, broken by dislocation and divorce. As a Mother, Madeline feels the need to hold her fractured family together and to keep and recreate the many traditions that defined them as a family. I particularly enjoyed author Barbara Monier’s description of Christmas together, as the new cast of characters sought to compete with and dispute the traditions of Madeline and her children, who had also returned home for the holidays. Looking at Pushing the River, as a social commentary on the family structure, I have no doubt many readers will identify with, particularly Madeline and the struggles she has to begin a whole new adventure at an age when she should be relaxing and enjoying the fruits of her labour. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks to Madeline’s mother and Madeline’s life as a child, which shaped the woman she was today. This is a very readable book and one that reminds us that we are not alone in our own struggles with family and the desire to keep it together and alive. Madeline’s abiding love for others is what comes through most strongly in the narrative and I am sure we can all identify with that.
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