The Rest Is Silence
Author Scott Fotheringham is a former research
scientist in New York and holds a PhD from Cornell University in molecular
genetics and a BSc from the University of Guelph. He left Manhattan to live in
the country. After a sojourn near Halifax, he now lives and writes near Ottawa.
His first novel, The Rest is Silence,
is an engaging and enlightening story of a man who withdraws from the world to
the backwoods of Nova Scotia.
What inspired you to tell this
story?
I began
writing as a means of understanding my grief; grief about loved ones
disappearing from the world, grief about loss of home, and grief about the state
of the natural world. But the writing had become tedious and I wasn’t enjoying
it. I wanted to write something fun. I had the idea of genetically engineered
bacteria eating plastic, and what that would mean to the world, so I began to
write a thriller. It was fun. The CIA, FBI, and animal rights activists all
made appearances. Soon enough, all my old writing filtered back into the book
and the thriller parts of it were toned down.
Where did the protagonists come
from?
The two main
people in this story were born out of that grief, that mystery about how the
world works. Benny, the scientist in New York, just can’t understand why it is
that, when we are born, we are given everything we need to survive only to have
the world start the inexorable process of tearing us apart, either gradually,
bit by bit, or all at once. The narrator, on his land in Nova Scotia, walks
through his days having come from a world that confused him. He tries to escape
to a monk-like life to make sense of the world falling apart.
How much of you is in him?
All of it,
and none at all. The line between autobiography and fiction is blurry and, I
believe, the distinction is unnecessary. We love to categorize everything. Of
course this helps us navigate the world and communicate with each other, but it
also means that once we’ve named something we think we know it and can stop
thinking. I don’t think it matter how much of me is in this book.
Did the work come together quickly
or did you really need to work at it?
I worked hard
at it for years. I often despaired that I was doing something I wasn’t prepared
to do and that, if I had been smarter or more skilled, I would have avoided. I
envy hearing about authors who plot out their novels and then write them from
beginning to end. Trollope was often in my mind, with his thousand words a day,
methodically moving from the first page to the last. Instead, I chose to loop
the story back on itself in ways that made my task difficult. I made a spider’s
web of the plot and many times got tangled in it. My fault. It went through at
least four rounds of substantial edits with my editor, Bethany Gibson, before
it made sense. I marvel at her patience and perseverance.
What was the most challenging
aspect of the process?
What ended up
being most challenging was wanting to be done, knowing that I wasn’t, and
getting a package back from my editor suggesting yet more global changes. I
thought it was going to be challenging to let go of characters or whole
sections I was attached to. Fortunately, I found that remarkably easy. Bethany
would suggest getting rid of a character or focusing on certain topics and
discarding others. She showed me how less becomes more.
What was the most rewarding part
of the experience?
Working out
the plot details. Making a large change (e.g., removing a character) and having
to figure out how to rework the whole story so it still made sense. It was
maddening at times, but I’d go for a long walk and ideas would come to me.
What did you learn during the
process?
That writing
a novel can take a long time, that having an editor is essential, and that
sharing it with trusted readers is necessary. I learned a neat trick from Sarah
Selecky that I think works well. In dialogue, she said, never have one person
answer a question directly. I also learned somewhere that, if you’re going to
use things that happened to you, the characters can be disguised by changing
their gender. This has two advantages. First, your family and friends won’t be
as ready to identify characters in your book. Second, it provides me with
distance from them, and my memories, allowing the characters to come to life
and make their own choices.
How did you feel when the book was
completed?
Something
like relief. Finally, I’m done with that.
What has the response been like so
far from critics and family?
The reviews
so far have been great. The best thing is hearing from my family that they like
it. I have reconnected with high school friends who I haven’t spoken to in
decades who picked up the book and let me know what they thought. The ones who
have contacted me like it. There may be others out there who are being polite
by not telling me they read it, and didn’t like it!
Has there been any discussion
about bringing the book to the big screen?
I’ve been
approached by someone about that but nothing material. I can’t see how it could
be done, but then I’m not (yet) a screenwriter.
What's next on your creative
agenda?
I have lots
of ideas for projects I want to pursue. I have an abiding interest in biological
invasions and what our reactions to them say about our place in the world. I’m
also intrigued and troubled by watching my daughter grow up. It niggles at me
and these questions are the fuel that feeds fiction . . . or non-fiction.
What made you want to be a writer?
I’m
introverted. I can’t draw very well. I don’t take good photographs. I think a
lot. I need a way to explore the questions that eat away at me.
What makes a good book?
A good story.
Good characters. Style. Humour mixed with pathos. Compassion for characters.
Honesty.
What are your thoughts on Canadian
literature today?
I am excited
by the quantity of high-quality fiction in Canada. For a small country we sure
do produce a lot of amazing writers. When my book was published in April and I
finally had some time to read again, I decided I’d focus on Canadian novels.
It’s been wonderful, reading books like Lynn Coady’s “The Antagonist” and
Patrick deWitt’s “The Sisters Brothers”. It’s a humbling experience, one that pushes
me to keep trying.
Do you have any advice for
aspiring writers?
Read. Do what
you love and take risks. Find a community of writers for mutual support. In
Nova Scotia we are lucky to have the NS Writers’ Federation. They were a huge
help to me. Get feedback from people you know read a lot and, hopefully, write.
Find a mentor. Don’t give up.
