Author Sara Backer is already making a name for herself with a critically
acclaimed first novel. A complex and compelling tale of east/west culture
clashes and sexual politics, AMERICAN FUJI is a stunning debut. Join Senior
Writer Jana Siciliano in her chat with Backer, and find out about the
inspiration behind her fierce female protagonist, Backer's thoughts on the
cultural ties and tensions between Japan and the U.S., and much more.
BRC: Young writers are usually exhorted to write what they know. How much of
AMERICAN FUJI is based on your experiences in Japan?
SB: If I hadn't lived three years in Japan, I could never have written this
novel. While the characters and events are imaginary, the Japan I describe
is the one I experienced. And my story couldn't happen anywhere else; it's
not like I "set" it in Japan, but rather that the premise and ideas grew out
of that unique and amazing culture.
BRC: What/who was your inspiration for Alex?
SB: Well, he's a mixture of alter ego and psychologists I used to know when I
was the administrator of a non-profit counseling center. To me, the defining
characteristic of Alex is his need to seek the truth regardless of
consequences. This immediately created tension between him and the Japanese
culture--as soon as he got off the plane!
BRC: There is a definite tension between the Japanese and the Americans in
your book, yet Japan seems to have a great admiration for American culture.
Can you explain some of this love/hate relationship?
SB: I would say there might be more curiosity than admiration on both sides
of the Pacific. I think Japanese politeness fools Americans into believing
them to be more admiring than they really might be. Similarly, while America
has many Japanophiles, they tend to be devoted to historic culture (geisha,
samurai, tea ceremonies, etc.) rather than modern Japan. I believe, however,
that our human commonalities are larger than our cultural differences, as my
readers will discover in AMERICAN FUJI.
BRC: What is the significance of the book's title?
SB: Mt. Fuji is not only a famous mountain, but a symbol of Japan itself. I
called it AMERICAN FUJI because I wanted readers to know this was a novel
about how Japan was experienced by expatriates. The mountain figures
prominently in my story, and in my mind, I regarded it as another character.
BRC: Where did the idea for fantasy funerals come from? Is the American way
of death very different from that of the Japanese?
SB: Japan actually has fantasy funerals! I didn't make that up! I did
exaggerate a lot to concoct my various funeral plan options, but I based Gone
With The Wind on a company I read about in an article in The Japan Times.
The idea of building cemeteries on the moon was the dream of the real
company's owner, who also mentioned his (successful) competition with
traditional Zen Buddhist ceremonies.
The Japanese are both more mystical and more matter-of-fact about death. For
example, the re-naming of the deceased for a better afterlife is taken quite
seriously, with Zen priests presenting various options of Chinese characters
(some of which "cost" more yen than others). Yet, cremation is handled
directly by family members. Furnaces are rented, and Junior takes his turn
with the poker to smash Grandma's skull to help it burn faster.
BRC: You are also a published poet and short-story writer. Do you prefer one
genre over the other?
SB: It's not so much what I prefer as what idea chooses to infect me. If I
get an idea for a poem, I write a poem. If I get an idea for a novel that I
can't get rid of --- and I do try to shake it, knowing how long it will take
to see it through --- I write a novel. I have noticed that short story ideas
aren't coming my way lately. At this point in my life, I'm more interested
in the large scope of novels and poems than the dramatic epiphany of the
short story.
BRC: AMERICAN FUJI is your first novel. Describe your writing process. Was it
difficult to get the book published? What was it like to have your book
reviewed by critics? Or to hear from readers?
SB: Writing doesn't come easily to me, and I slogged through several
revisions for several years. I work best with a boring routine: five days a
week, meeting or exceeding a daily word count. Once I decided my novel was
the best book it could be, it didn't take long to get an agent --- at least,
not nearly as long as other writers have reported. The irony is that I was
sending my manuscript to west coast agents who told me I wrote well but my
novel wouldn't sell in New York. When I finally contracted with a New York
agent, she sold AMERICAN FUJI to Putnam within two weeks. From what I've
heard, this is most unusual.
It is odd to begin to read reviews of my novel, now. Since writing has been
a private activity, I feel eerily exposed reading the opinions of strangers
printed up for all the world to see. I can't express how gratifying it is
that my novel is meaningful to my readers, that people I've never met enjoy
and relate to what I have to say --- that's the dream come true.
BRC: Is there any talk about turning AMERICAN FUJI into a film? What do you
think about the whole book-to-movie trend?
SB: Film rights haven't been sold yet, though I think AMERICAN FUJI has a lot
of dramatic potential. I love movies, so the book-to-movie trend doesn't
bother me. Reading is an entirely different experience from watching films.
I feel seeing a movie often inspires readers to buy the book afterward, to
get inside the characters they've seen from the outside.
BRC: Did you experience culture shock in your travels between America and
Japan?
SB: Some, but you re-adapt quickly to your native country. What I noticed
most once I moved back to America was the lack of attention I was getting. I
was no longer the always-watched outsider but just another person in line in
the supermarket. This was both a relief and a let-down. I liked being free
of constant public scrutiny, but even critical attention in Japan sort of
subtly made me feel important. Back in the States, I wasn't important, and
it took awhile to get used to my change of status.
BRC: How were your experiences in Japan shaped by the fact that you are a
woman and how much of that seeped into the character of Gaby?
SB: Japan is a hierarchical society. As such, ALL of my experiences in Japan
were shaped by the fact that I was a woman, a foreigner, and a university
professor, an extremely rare combination. While I'm not like Gaby
emotionally or temperamentally, her take on Japan is the same as mine --- not
representative of "The American Experience," certainly at odds with the
impressions of American men, but completely authentic.
BRC: What writers were influential to you as an aspiring author?
SB: Mark Twain and Ross MacDonald.
BRC: What can we expect from you next?
SB: I'm very superstitious; I can't talk about a work in progress or I'm
afraid it will vanish. I can only say this: my next novel will be different
from AMERICAN FUJI.
