Special to the Tallahassee Democrat
 | USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
A special pre-Word of South festival literary event this week features Rebecca Makkai, the Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of “The Great Believers” and “I Have Some Questions for You.”
Makkai is headed to the Big Bend on Thursday Sept. 11, for a discussion of her latest novel, “I Have Some Questions for You.” She’ll be joined by Word of South director Sara Marchessault in conversation at the Maguire Center at Westminster Oaks at 6:30 p.m.
Makkai’s work has been praised for its emotional depth, wit, and relevance. The event is presented by Word of South and Midtown Reader, with support from COCA (Council on Culture & Arts).
Tickets, $20, available now at Midtown Reader. Purchase one ticket per person. Seating is limited.
Here’s a preview of their conversation:
Q: “I Have Some Questions for You” had many elements that felt nostalgic for readers who were in high school in the 90s. That time period was also used to lay the groundwork of comparison to our current world of more access and connection to each other, which you also explore in the book. What about that decade made it the right one for the story?
A: I always wanted to give Bodie my high school graduation year (1995). It was partly for ease and familiarity (I know what we were listening to, watching, wearing, saying) but also because it was a particularly interesting moment in history. I got my first email address on my first day of college, that fall; so high school was totally internet-free, and college very much included the internet.
That meant that during high school, students at a boarding school like Bodie’s would be largely cut off from the world, but then they’d stay increasingly connected in the years that followed. It fit so well with the story I wanted to tell, which was about what we assume given limited information, and what happens when a huge number of people claims ownership over a murder that has nothing to do with them and spreads information and misinformation in public.
Q: “I Have Some Questions for You” was a book I could not put down. I would describe it as suspenseful and propulsive, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. What was Bodie going to learn about the past? Was the experience of writing this story similar? Were you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what would happen? Or do you know going into a story where it’s going to end?
A: From the very beginning, before I started writing, I knew exactly what happened the night of the murder, minute by minute. And I had the whole campus mapped out with distances between buildings and how long it would take to walk between them. I have friends who are true mystery writers (the kind who write a detective series and put out a book a year) and I’ve heard many of them say that if you don’t know all those things at the outset, you’re making months of extra work for yourself later as you move things around to make them fit. But knowing what happened did feel propulsive for me, as the author; I had secrets that I couldn’t wait to reveal, and that kept me motivated to write.
Q: As a novelist, what are your feelings on the future of the novel? What role will books play as various forms of media vie for our attention?
A: I love novels, but they’re not the only form of storytelling, and what I really love is story. Theater, movies, television series, podcasts, live storytelling — the best iterations of each of these — all need space in the world, and each is uniquely suited to certain types of story. It’s not just mindless TikToks compete with novels; we’re still in a golden age of long-form television, for one thing, and that’s fantastic.
One major addition to my own reading life in recent years has been audiobooks; I manage to read more now than in the past simply because I can read while folding the laundry or walking the dog or driving — and I know I’m far from alone in that. Something like 12% of book sales now are audiobooks, and for some books it’s much higher. (And there are apps to purchase audiobooks through your favorite independent bookstore!)
I was so lucky to have the brilliant Julia Whalen narrate this book, with a cameo from the equally-amazing J. D. Jackson… They’re both audiobook royalty, and a huge number of readers found this book because they’re fans of those actors. So there are cool things happening, and the form is constantly evolving. That’s what art is supposed to do.
If you go
What: Talk with bestselling author Rebecca Makkai about of her latest novel “I Have Some Questions for You”
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11; doors open at 6 p.m.
Where: Maguire Center, 4449 Meandering Way
Cost: Tickets are $20; visit Midtown Reader at midtownreader.com