Q&A: Sue Halpern, Author of ‘What We Leave Behind’
We chat with author Sue Halpern about What We Leave Behind, which is a tenderhearted story of two very different women grappling with the messy emotional legacies passed down by their parents—for fans of Dani Shapiro, Ann Napolitano, and Jody Picoult.
Hi, Sue! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I live in the mountains on land once owned by the poet Robert Frost, like to ski in the woods with my dog, spend way too much time poking around Reddit, and have written eight books (which is only remarkable given how much time I spend poking around Reddit and skiing with my dog).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
In 7th grade I was asked to read a story I’d written during parents’ night. The bell rang for the parents to switch classes but I hadn’t gotten to the end of the story and none of the parents got up to leave. It was kind of thrilling. Also, the year before, my epic poem, “I Wonder If They Still Sell Turtles At The Five and Dime,” was published in the school literary magazine. Also thrilling.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Green Eggs and Ham
- The one that made you want to become an author: Harriet The Spy
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Your latest novel, What We Leave Behind, is out June 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Provocative, fun, poignant, surprising, fresh
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a story that takes those famous lines of Philip Larkin’s–“they fuck you up your mum and dad. They don’t mean to, but they do”—out for a spin.
Where did the inspiration for What We Leave Behind come from?
I got obsessed with reading studies of twins that had been separated at birth and though my book doesn’t feature any twins, it does raise the question that is central to those studies: how are we shaped by the people and environment in which we were raised, and how by our genetic inheritance. (I might have called the book “Inheritance,” but that title was taken.)
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s an ancillary character, Marcia Yandel, a busybody who thinks her son is a boy genius that made me laugh every time she entered the scene.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
All writing is hard. The blank page, even on a screen, can be intimidating. I tried to follow Hemingway’s dictum (paraphrased here): stop for the day in the middle of a paragraph or a scene or a sentence so that there’s an obvious place to begin the next day.
What do you hope readers take away from What We Leave Behind?
I hope they’ll have some grace for the people who raised them.
What’s next for you?
It’s a mystery.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I adored Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel “Spent,” and “Careless People,” Sarah Wynn-Williams’ takedown of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. I’m looking forward to “Here Comes the Sun” by Bill McKibben. (Full disclosure: we’re married.)
Will you be picking up What We Leave Behind? Tell us in the comments below!
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