The disappearing 'Katherine Carlyle'
In his long career, novelist Rupert Thomson has been compared to everyone from Franz Kafka to Oliver Sacks. He laughs when his newest work, "Katherine Carlyle," is called his "break-out book," considering it's his 10th.
But this one is different. The inspiration for "Katherine Carlyle" comes from a deeply personal place for Thomson: the conception of his daughter.
His daughter was conceived using in-vitro fertilization, a backstory he gives to Katherine, the 19-year-old at the center of his novel. Katherine was frozen as an embryo for eight years before being implanted in her mother. Thirteen years later, her mother dies. By 19, she feels most lost than ever. And so she decides to disappear.
The character, Thomson told MPR News' Euan Kerr, "came to me from nowhere. She appeared fully formed, with a physical presence, with a voice and definitely with an agenda."
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Feeling neglected by her television journalist father who jets off on short notice to war zones, Katherine decides to leave her life behind. "Part of the rationale for this journey that she goes on is to test her father's love," Thomson said. "Does he love her? Will he even notice she's gone?"
The question becomes: Where should she go?
"I've always been fascinated by these little bits of information you get from hearing people talk on their cell phones," Thomson said. "People will give way an extraordinary amount of information without realizing. I've always thought: What would happen if you actually followed up on one of those things?"
Eavesdropping on a phone call in a theater, Katherine gets everything she needs: an address, a name, a city she's never been to. She leaves behind her comfortable but empty life to follow what she's overheard.
Throughout the book, Thomson's character work comes through. Despite the generation gap, Thomson brings Katherine authenticity and empathy on her wild journey north.
"I'm a 59-year-old man," he said. "And here I am writing about a 19-year-old woman."
To hear the complete interview between Euan Kerr and Rupert Thomson, use the audio link above.