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| Book Reviews, Interviews | |
This is the third and final installment of my interview with author Janelle Brown.
Laura Tyler – I am curious about Aoki, the international art star and ex-girlfriend in This Is Where We Live. She is something of an extreme character. She’s flamboyant, charismatic and uncompromising. I experienced her as an archetype. Can you share with my readers something about her making? Janelle Brown – I conceived Aoki as an amalgamation of many people I had met over the years, in assorted creative industries: Flamboyant narcissists tend to float through the art and music worlds, people who use their art as an excuse for bad behavior (whether sex or drugs or cruelty to others). They are wonderful characters to study, very compelling, even when they’re maddening or cruel. And their success just enables that kind of behavior. I also wanted to draw a character who would stand in contrast to Jeremy and Claudia, someone who had managed to “make it big” as an artist without making any apparent compromises, and someone who justified her narcissism and selfishness as being true to her art. Someone who doesn’t know the meaning of compromise. Frankly, I was fascinated by Aoki; She is possibly the most awful of all the characters I’ve written, in her destructive power, but also one of the purest. She knows exactly what she is doing to the people around her and yet feels no guilt or regret about her behavior. LT – Have you been following the “happiness” story that’s unfolded on the culture blogs these past few weeks? I found myself wondering… What would Aoki think? JB – Yes, I’ve been following the “happiness” debate – it’s very interesting reading. I don’t think Aoki would think much of any self-sacrificing parenthood at all. Then again, she could afford a live-in nanny. | |
