The Mermaid Collector (33 page)

CONVERSATION GUIDE

A Conversation with Erika Marks

Q. This is such a rich story of parents and children, and of lovers. In deciding to write it, were you accessing stories that you had wanted to tell for a while, or was it an inspiration of the moment?

A. I remember very clearly when the idea for this story came to me. I was reading an article about a seaside home, and in the house was a gorgeous mosaic of a mermaid and a man that was meant to commemorate a local legend about a sea captain who had fallen in love with a mermaid and left his wife and family to be reunited with her. It was that instantaneous for me. And while I knew the legend itself wouldn’t be the main focus of the story, I immediately envisioned a novel driven by the inherent
romance in such a legend, what it would be like to grow up in a place where life was impacted by that fantasy, how that would help to shape people’s beliefs in love and their understanding of family and community.

Q. How did you decide to write the parallel narratives? Did you arrive at them at the same time, or did one time period or story inspire the other?

A. I always imagined Lydia’s and Linus’s voices in the story in some form, but in the early drafts it was mostly in journal entries. It wasn’t until later drafts that I began to explore Lydia’s narrative, and suddenly her story grew, and with it, new twists to the legend that I thought I already knew. I especially loved moving back and forth between the two time periods and the two stories. It felt seamless to me because even though there were more than a hundred years separating the two narratives, their setting (the town, but more specifically the lightkeeper’s house) and some of the challenges facing the characters (loss of loved ones, isolation, unexpected desires) were so similar.

Q. Maine’s atmosphere absolutely permeates these stories. What sort of memories or experiences of the state inspired you here? Were lighthouses always important to you?

A. There’s no question that my growing up near the coast was at the heart of my inspiration for this novel. There is a ruggedness and a starkness to the Maine coast that I think is truly beautiful and haunting at
the same time. I’m drawn to stories of people who build their lives in coastal places, and how that setting shapes who they are and what they want.

Lighthouses are such an intrinsic part of our image of the coast and I have always been fascinated by them, their architecture, and the histories of the individuals who took care of them—how remarkably demanding that life must have been.

Q. You evoke an incredibly intimate vision of a town in Maine, but at the same time you portray characters who grate against the smallness of their towns. Tess, for example, has a conflicted relationship with her hometown, yet she doesn’t seem to want to leave it. How did your experience of Maine’s small towns shape your portrayal here?

A. I was fortunate to grow up in a very close-knit and nurturing small town in Maine, so I wanted to convey the strong sense of community and comfort that comes from that setting, even for someone like Tess. In her case, her conflicted relationship with the Harbor reveals itself when she eventually sees how much support she does have in her town and that her sense of isolation has more to do with who she is than with who her neighbors are.

Q. In Tess, you’ve created a vibrant but often prickly heroine. How did you create this attractive yet often flawed character?

A. Tess revealed herself to me, not surprisingly, in fits and starts. She was often a hard character to pin
down and I think that was part of what I loved about her. She is such a ball of inconsistencies—on the one hand she is passionate and highly emotional and very needy, but in other ways she wants to present herself to the world as a tough nut who is fine with being perceived as an outsider. Yet when the opportunity arises to carve the commemorative statue, she is determined to use the chance to win the town’s approval. In reality, I think we all struggle with our own inconsistencies, and the parts of us that we want the world to see are often at odds with who we really are in our most honest moments.

Q. Some of the darker issues dealt with in the book include Ruby’s bipolarity and Dean’s alcoholism. Did you research these illnesses? Or did something in your personal life experience give you a sense of these issues?

A. Even though I have been close to people who have struggled with both bipolar illness and alcoholism, I did look to several mental health professionals in order to have a fuller understanding of the challenges of living with these illnesses. But Dean and Ruby’s health challenges are only a facet of their stories—what was paramount to me in writing their narratives was how their illnesses impacted the people around them and how their resistance to treatment often defined them in the eyes of their loved ones.

Q. Tom and Dean are such an intriguing set of brothers. Having lived together for so many years, they obviously love each
other, yet they are also codependent. What drew you to write about this unusual pairing?

A. After writing about sisters Josie and Dahlia in
Little Gale Gumbo
, I wanted to explore the relationship between two brothers and how that might be similar to and different from the challenges and joys that sisters encounter in their relationships. With Tom and Dean, much like Josie and Dahlia, there are huge personality differences, but there is still that basic sense of belonging that can come only from siblings.

One of the most interesting aspects of Tom and Dean’s relationship is how mutually conflicted they are about their codependency. On the one hand, Dean imagines Tom as his “warden,” but Dean knows—whether he will admit it or not—that Tom’s overbearing concern allows Dean the luxury of a sometimes-reckless lifestyle. Similarly, Tom doesn’t want to see that he condones Dean’s dependency to avoid losing his brother’s companionship.

Q. Lydia and Tom are both newcomers to the town (albeit centuries apart). Have you ever had that experience yourself
? If so, did you draw from it in creating their arrivals?

A. Absolutely. Several times in my life, I have moved to new places—many times alone and often not knowing anyone. It can be a very empowering experience because it can offer—as it does for Lydia and Tom—a chance to make a fresh start. But too often we imagine a new setting will magically wash away the things we struggled with or that we think we left behind.
I don’t think that’s possible. Our personal challenges, if not confronted and resolved, follow us no matter how different our new home, which is the realization both Lydia and Tom eventually come to at the keeper’s house.

Q. The characters in this novel often define themselves in relation to the ocean. In your life, do you feel that same sense of mystery and romance toward the ocean? How did that affect your writing of this novel?

A. Regardless of whether you grow up inland or right at the edge of the water, I think the coast has a strong effect on all of us and how we see ourselves in the world. For me, the ocean is instantly settling and a source of great joy. There is something humbling and peaceful in walking the beach and facing the surf and the expanse of the sea, in the sounds of the water, the texture of the sand, the smell of the tide. The characters in this novel have very complex relationships with the sea. Some see it as their livelihood, others as the source of a magical legend, and then others, like Lydia, feel its power in a foreboding way and struggle to relate to it. It was interesting to me, as someone who has no fear of the ocean, to explore a character who fears the sea—and ultimately the sea confirms her fears by taking away her most precious possessions: her husband and his love for her.

Q. I think one of the most enduring images of this novel is Ruby’s bright pink house nestled along the coastline. Have you seen a
house like that, or did something in particular draw you to that color or to that idea?

A. I think it’s impossible to spend any amount of time in a city like New Orleans—where I lived for several years and met my husband—and not be transformed by the vibrant palette of the city. Since Ruby was an artist, and very attached to the properties of colors (even if those properties were of her own making), I loved the idea of using color as a way to symbolize the contrast between Ruby’s bolder philosophies and the more subdued world of Cradle Harbor. Even though the town has a lively festival every summer, their day-to-day world is much more restrained and reserved. Ruby’s arrival changes that—and her desire to repaint the cottages cements it.

CONVERSATION GUIDE

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. To all appearances, Tom and Tess are an unlikely match—yet their attraction is immediate and insistent. What do you think draws them to each other?

2. The sea plays a role in both the present-day and historical stories. For some characters it is a source of joy and peace; for others it is a source of great fear. Choose a character and discuss how the presence of the sea impacts the way he or she views the world.

3. Beverly comes to Cradle Harbor with a mission for truth, but over the course of the few days she is there, it becomes clear that the truth she has been seeking may not be the one she wants to find. Discuss how Beverly’s “mission for truth” changes over the course of her visit to Cradle Harbor—and how what she learns changes her as a person.

4. Everyone in Cradle Harbor thinks they know the true story of the Mermaid Mutiny, but it becomes clear through the course of the novel that the legend has been misunderstood.
Do you think the townspeople would like to know the truth, or do you think they are too attached to their own versions? Do you think as a general rule people select their own truths in stories, depending on their own needs, as well as the timing?

5. It is clear that Lydia has strong feelings for Angus, even though she remains devoted to Linus and committed to their marriage. Do you think it’s possible for someone to love two people with equal depth?

6. Both Lydia and Tom come to the lightkeeper’s house seeking stability. Lydia seeks it for her marriage so they can finally start a family; Tom seeks it for Dean so he will stop drinking. Do you think Lydia and Tom ever attain that stability?

7. The residents and the attendees of Cradle Harbor’s annual Mermaid Festival are all enamored of the mystique of mermaids even though the legend states that mermaids led Linus and the other men to abandon their wives. What do you think it is about mermaids that fascinates people?

8. By the story’s end, Tom is not convinced that Dean is capable of taking care of himself. Do you think he is? Do you think Dean is as helpless and irresponsible as Tom believes him to be? Or is there codependency between the brothers? Does Tom need Dean as much as Dean needs Tom? Discuss how one brother depends on the other to function in his role.

9. It is evident that Frank had a deep love for his wife, and yet he engaged in an affair with Beverly for many years.
Why do you think he continued to see her? Do you think it had anything to do with the accident?

10. Tess grows up refusing to believe that her mother is mentally ill. By the end of the novel, do you think she has finally come to terms with the reality of her mother’s illness? If so, how might it change her memories of her life—and the “fun” they had—with her mother?

11. One of the prevailing themes in the novel is the use of “legends” and perceived history. Just as the townspeople have unknowingly “rewritten” the details of their treasured Mermaid Mutiny legend to suit their festival, all the characters in the novel have personal histories that they have shaped over the years to suit their emotional needs. Tom and Tess are both guilty of this. Tom uses his perceived guilt to keep him bound to Dean, while Tess uses her perceived “outcast-ness” to keep the memory of her mother alive. Discuss how Tom and Tess help each other to confront their mutual retelling of their personal stories and face the truths from which they’ve been hiding. What other characters in the novel face a similar reckoning with their own personal legends?

12. By the end of the book, it is apparent that Tom and Dean’s mysterious affiliation with the town will soon be revealed. How do you think the townspeople—in particular the prickly members of the Historical Society—will respond to this information?

13. While there are journal entries, letters, and plenty of local lore on the event, it is never entirely clear what happened to the four men between the time they left the harbor for their doomed sail and the time of their rescue. Discuss what you think may have transpired during those lost days on the water.