The Borrower FAQ
Okay, the ‘F’ part is debatable, as is the ‘A’ part, but these are definitely ‘Q’s. And I even answered them!
What is The Borrower about?
It’s about a librarian who inadvertently kidnaps a child.
How do you inadvertently kidnap someone?
I’m going to refuse to answer that, to trick you into buying the book.
How long did it take you to write The Borrower?
I wish I had an hour counter, sort of like a writer’s pedometer. All I know is that I started in 2000, abandoned it many, many times, and “finished” it in 2009. I wish it hadn’t taken me quite that long, but I’m also glad that I didn’t try to complete it when I was 23 years old.
I’ve read The Borrower, and I’m wondering how much of it is autobiographical.
Seriously? What’s wrong with you?
But I thought writers tended to rely on their own lives and experiences for material. At least a little bit. Is it maybe, like, fifteen percent true?
No. Zero percent of this story is based on anything related to my real life. My mistake was writing my first novel in the first person, wasn’t it. Damn. And with a young, female protagonist, no less.
Zero? Really? I’m kind of disappointed.
Okay, zero point four. In the interest of total honesty, here is a complete list of all elements of the novel that relate to anything real:
- My father was a refugee. But from the failed Hungarian Revolution, not from Russia, and he ended up becoming a linguistics professor, not a Mafioso. He told me a story once about his friend’s underground chocolate factory. That was pretty much the extent of the story: that there was one. But you can’t say something like that in front of a writer and expect her not to use it.
- In college, I once stayed at the house of some people who had ferrets. I was really creeped out.
- I worked circulation for two summers in the world’s smallest graduate school library, where my primary job was keeping the firewood stocked. In all honesty, I took the job long after I’d started writing The Borrower, because I wanted to be able to write with more authority. It wasn’t all that helpful, really. But it was a nice job.
- You know the family crest described at the end of the first chapter? The really gory, unrealistic one? That’s the actual Makkai family crest, or close to it. In the book, the man on the Hulkinov crest has a book in one hand, a severed head on a pike in the other. The Makkai crest is a more writerly combination of severed head and quill pen.
That’s ridiculous. And kind of disgusting. Prove it.
Did you do any research into “gay rehabilitation” ministries as the basis for Glad Heart Ministries and the character of Pastor Bob?
I did as much as I could stomach. There is a horrifying number of them out there, and the largest, Exodus International, has over a hundred chapters in the US. (They’ve recently changed the name of their youth ministry from Exodus Youth Network to Exodus Student. I’ve tried to muster a modicum of gratitude for the excision of the word “youth,” but I’m just not feeling it.) For the record, GHM is not directly based on Exodus, and as far as I know Exodus does not work with ten-year-olds, although there are groups that do.
I’d provide web links here for the edification of the curious, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Here, instead, is a link to The Trevor Project, a fantastic organization dedicated to supporting gay kids and teens and keeping them alive to see a better day.
Will you ever write a sequel? Will you tell us how Ian’s life turns out?
I doubt I’ll write a sequel, but I will make this promise: If I’m lucky enough to keep writing books for many years, and you’re kind enough to keep reading them, you will see Ian Drake again. I have a plan.
Is there really a joke about the cat and the mustard?
Yes.
Please tell it.
No. It’s revolting and not very funny. But if you ever meet me in person and catch me in a really good mood and buy me a drink, I’ll think about it.
Why does Lucy Hull not have an MLIS degree? Do you hate librarians or something?
Some of the most amusing (at least to me) reactions to this book have been from librarians who are put out not that Lucy kidnaps a child, but that she doesn’t have the optimal degree to be a proper librarian. In those earnest readers’ defense: Anyone who wants to be a librarian should absolutely pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree, which is necessary for most jobs in most libraries. Lucy, being fictional, did not qualify for admission to any US library science school. She was accepted to one in Guatemala that did not care about her fictional status, but sadly she does not speak Spanish. Concerned librarians can rest assured that during her time in Hannibal she got paid only in fictional money, and thus did not take funds from more worthy applicants.
More seriously (because this does deserve a serious answer): I originally had Lucy as a full-fledged Masters-holding librarian (and even included a scene in which she explains and defends the MLIS to a drunken man at a fundraiser), but this detail just wasn’t in keeping with the haphazard way she lives her life (a trait necessary to the whole throw-your-life-away-for-a-kid thing). It was more important to the story that Lucy be an “accidental” librarian than that she have her credentials in order. So I (quite tediously) figured out a way for this to happen. The job had to be out in the sticks, extremely low-paying, at a very poorly-run library with an alcoholic and lazy boss who was desperate to hire someone — anyone — when she found that her longstanding children’s librarian was dying of cancer. Lucy’s resume showed up, and she decided it was a sign from God, hired Lucy temporarily, and then got too lazy to find someone else. That’s all still in the book, although in earlier drafts it was drawn out and explained in nauseating detail. Fascinating, right?
As for whether I hate librarians… Just one of them. Her name is Bernice. She put mustard on my cat once. The other librarians of the world are quietly brilliant professionals who, in a million little ways, save the world every day. If I had my life to live over but had to do it differently, librarian might be the way I’d go. I’d get my degree first.
How did you get the idea to write this book?
I honestly don’t remember – and I’m not sure that even if you asked me in 2000, I could have told you. I mean, where did you get the ideas for the dreams you had last night?
Okay, no, that’s not entirely true. In late 1999 or early 2000, I first heard of the “reparative therapy” programs like the one Ian is in — and about which we now collectively know a bit more thanks to Marcus and Michele Bachmann. I was horrified. And if you ever do buy me a drink in your effort to hear the cat-and-mustard joke, I might tell you the circumstances in which I first heard about it. This is too public a place for that story. If I were a different kind of person, I’d have gone home and punched a punching bag. But I’m me, so I went home and started a novel.
That’s all you’re getting for now.
You sound kind of cranky and put out, considering this is a fake interview.
I do, don’t I? I’m a little sleep-deprived right now. I have a baby.
Go get some sleep.
That’s a very good idea. Thank you.
You can read a real review with Rebecca, as well as a reading Guide for The Borrower at the Penguin Books website.
I am looking forward to reading The Borrower. I first learned about Rebecca and the book when listening to her story on This American Life’s episode about gossip. I enjoyed the story and believe the book will be also.
Thanks, Rena
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the novel!
I was especially captivated by your clear love for books — I too love the magical feeling of walking into a library and feeling all those stories (and gorgeous illustrations) living there, just waiting to meet me… I am curious if you have a book list of all the books Lucy recommended for Ian. I have a 9 year old son who is a voracious reader. Thank you for this story!
Thank you — I’m so glad you appreciated that aspect of the book (that love of libraries being one of the few things I have unequivocally in common with my narrator)… And I do like your idea of putting together a list. While I did put together an It Gets Better video with my reading list specifically for LGBTQ young adults (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSwnoeyPJC4), these aren’t actually the kinds of books Lucy recommends within The Borrower, and I think it would be fun to post both her actual recs from the book as well as my further recs for all ten-year-olds. (I’ve taught elementary school for the past twelve years, and the list I actually hand out is probably too long to post online. Maybe an edited version.) But, to start things off: my favorite classic that I didn’t manage to get into The Borrower is The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, and my favorite more current work is Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.
Thank you, Rebecca! I’ll look forward to book lists at some point… For now, I just combed through the book and copied them down before it is due back at the library! I am excited to share some of these books with my son, and really appreciate your reaching out to LGBTQ young adults.
Just finished reading The Borrower and I loved it! Being a retired school librarian (MLIS) I enjoyed all of the “title dropping” you did with the books for Ian and the relationship that Lucy had with Ian. There is nothing like a good librarian to help with suggesting a good book or getting help. And there’s nothing like a good book that you don’t want to put down or come to the end and The Borrower is just that! Keep writing – I look forward to reading more of your work. Thanks – Monica
Thank you so much! (In my earliest draft, Lucy was actually a school librarian, until I realized that not even the brightest child would willingly run away to school.) I’m glad you appreciated the book… Many thanks for taking the time to say so.
My book club is discussing The Borrower tomorrow. By the way, I’m a librarian and your book has a pretty impressive holds list. We had to buy more copies. Did you see the review in Kirkus? It was pretty positive, and they tend to be the most critical of reviewers.
I hope they liked it! If they (or you) ended up with any lingering, burning questions, please send them my way (rebeccamakkai@gmail.com). And yes, I was very pleased with the Kirkus review. It was generous, and — what’s even more useful to a writer, it turns out — quotable. It’s been so nice when reviewers have “gotten” the book. Thanks for your comment!
As a children’s librarian named “Lucy”, I was not surprisingly recommended this book by a friend. I loved it.
I have to confess that after ten years working in libraries and raving about great books to kids, only to find piles of the same books left behind in the library, I have lost my enthusiasm a little for the whole book recommendation aspect of my job. “The borrower” and Lucy Hull, have reinspired me. So thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it! (And that you had a good sense of humor about the name…) Recommending books to children has been one of the best parts of my teaching career (and one of the few things I really have in common with my narrator); I always assume that even if they don’t pick up the book right away, they’ll file the information away in some remote corner of the brain and be likelier the next time to choose that book. I’m sure the same is true of your patrons! Thanks for getting in touch…
Rebecca,
LOVED the book, got it at my local library and just bought it for my Nook. Love that I will be able to “bookmark” the book suggestions from the book. Will be recommending this book for our book discussion group.
Thank you so much! And if your book group has any questions for me, please feel free to pass them on!
Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with the Bel Air (MD) book discussion group last night. We never did a count to see who liked or did not like your book (sometimes we do that), but it certainly appeared to me that, even when you were not on the phone(:-)), people seemed to really enjoy your story. It is always nice to hear how an author thinks about his or her own work and why they wrote it the way they did. I never really give much thought to if a book is written in third or first person. You talking about why you chose first person for your book has made me much more aware of that. And why you put in about the guy following them – all carefully thought out! Lord, I admire writers! I love to read but struggle even to write a thank you note. I liked The Borrower for several reasons. I have always loved the library. When we were kids we could walk to the library and probably went there every week – especially during the summer, and I enjoyed seeing which childrens’ book you mentioned and seeing if I had read them or not. There were times when both Lucy and Ian could have used a swift kick in the pants, but I was always interested in their story, enjoyed your style of writing, and wanted to see how it ended. Thanks again for your book and your time. I shall keep an eye out for your next one.
Thank you, Kathleen… It was a great chat! (For what it’s worth, I struggle with thank-you notes too… If I could just make stuff up, like I do in a story, it would be so much easier!)
My 15 year old daughter, Elsa, is leading the discussion next Wednesday with her 9th grade book group. I gave Elsa “The Borrower” for Christmas which she loved and suggested it to the fabulous woman who runs youth book groups here, who also loved it and thought it would be a great read for the kids.
She’s come up with a great list of questions with little input from me as it should be.
A question I have is if you could share some of the childrens’ books that you incorporated into your writing- for example, p.179, paperback, clearly this is based on “Goodnight Moon”. So clever. And then there’s “Where’s Ian?” p. 242. I can’t remember which book I read to my kids that had this….
Not asking you to divulge secrets. These kids in this group are such passionate readers, have always been, and will continue to be. Your book speaks to the magic of books which is part of what is so delightful about it. I think the kids would love to know your thoughts in the incorporation of these children’s classics into your writing.
Thank for writing this book. I’ll let you know how the discussion goes! If I could post a picture, I would.
Oh, this makes me so happy! Please tell them I love that they’re reading and discussing contemporary literature…!
It’s funny about those parodies… Although parody is supposed to be legally protected, there’s enough gray area in the intellectual property laws that I’m not supposed to put in writing what specific books were being parodied. (I had a long, interesting talk with the Penguin lawyer before the book went to press, and I even had to change a few things so they weren’t as close to the originals.) I’ll say, though, that all the italic sections are indeed referring to real books. I wonder if these ninth graders might, between them, be able to piece it altogether! It’s not quite the same, but I’ve been able to post a “Borrower Book List” here (on the main Borrower page), listing all the books referred to directly throughout my novel.
If you catch a picture of them and they’re okay with it, you’re welcome to post it on the Borrower Facebook page!
Thanks,
Rebecca