Nick Laird, "Modern Gods"

www.politics-prose.com/book/97...
Unfolding in Northern Ireland, New York City, and Papua New Guinea, Laird’s wide-ranging third novel follows two sisters who live very different lives, yet face similar challenges. Alison works in their father’s business in Northern Ireland and hopes to jump-start her life with a second marriage. Liz, a professor in New York, is on her way to Oceania to make a film about a newly discovered religion. Neither woman’s venture goes according to plan, and in his deft interweaving of the sisters’ experiences, Laird explores question of family, memory, and fanaticism. An award-winning poet as well as the author of the novels Utterly Monkey and Glover’s Mistake, Laird currently teaches in the Creative Writing Program at New York University. Laird is in conversation with Nate Brown, managing editor of the Austin-based literary magazine American Short Fiction.
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Produced by Tom Warren

[@beag4961]

I think the circumstances create actions. Extraordinary circumstances create extraordinary actions that offend in ordinary times. I like what Stephen said: 'None of this should have happened. But at the time we had to fight back' (loose paraphrasing). I have a lot of admiration for his ability to own his deed. And strength in not yielding to the pressure and backlash but managing to live his life and his beliefs. But it is Kenneth who winds me up - his pettiness and irritability, his undeserved status - having children to whom he never paid much attention, having wife who adjusted herself to fit the marriage. The world is full of righteous Kenneths who never question their actions or attitudes and expect - demand! - respect from the world. I love Nick's novel! Not only the story is amazing, full of twists and events, compelling and presenting the characters in such a balanced way - making the reader able to sympathize with almost all of them (excluding Kenneth;) and Josh;), but even more importantly, I love Nick's novel for the attention to 'the moment', the tiny movements in the souls of all people (the constant need for trimming and remoulding - again, very loose (and bad) paraphrasing - of what Nick can put so beautifully in words!!!!

[@alisclement]

Please ask people to use the question time to ask questions of the writers.

[@laki74]

This writer absolutely bored me with his reading. He's god awful. I swear, if I was at that meeting, I'd throw a brick at him.

[@poetonsong7412]

you're wrong!