Interview by Ey@el

Original en français

Percentage of Life Experience

EYAEL: In this book, one can feel you're drawing really deep onto emotions so there must be a great deal of personal life experience in it. What percentage do you reckon?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Gosh, I'm totally helpless with figures so I won't speculate on any percentage. But I think there's not a single page in this book which is not alluding to something I either directly experienced or witnessed and which struck me. Then, it's highly transformed as I didn't experience it all literally and because there's still a magical dimension to this story.

It's true that, not so long ago, I had the opportunity to read an excerpt from the book, whereas I hadn't re-read it and I thought, “did I write that, really? Oh yes, that's true. Wow! That's crazy.” Now with a little more perspective, I thought, it's truly a spicy meatball. At the time of writing, it felt very different. That's how I noted the huge discrepancy between what it felt like during the writing process and how it might feel for the reader.

I know the very first draft, when I wanted to write a story about grammar school, before the Mirror Visitor, clearly, I was biased. I think I was resentful. There was a mixture of resentment and guilt. And I think I wanted to settle scores, which is a terrible reason. Fortunately, it didn't happen. Anyway I quickly realised it rang false, so I stopped.

Whereas when this book came to me, I really didn't want to settle scores, I'd rather see things from their own perspective. I thought maybe it wasn't that easy. Ultimately, it's some kind of jungle and that's a defence mechanism like any other.

Still I wouldn't condone all of it. However understanding a different perspective, I think that's what was the most liberating thing for me. Stepping out of myself, my personal history, disengaging from that, and saying "Okay, I'm getting back in the bullring, but with other perspectives which weren't necessarily mine since all the characters aren't like me.”

The characters have nothing to do with me, but it allows me to see things differently. It's another perspective And you can understand. which doesn't mean condoning. There's no judging. Let's say it's not autobiographical, strictly speaking. Otherwise I would have written a life story and personally, I would have found that far less interesting.

But indeed, the aim was to step out of the narrow prism of what I had experienced, of how I had perceived it. And all of a sudden I thought “well, those people I ran along with, how did it feel for them? How did they experience it?” As for myself, to personify that as a writer, that was exciting. I thought, “well, now I'm totally stepping out of my personal history and it's getting larger than my own self.”

It doesn't necessarily mean I will hit home, but I'm trying. I'm trying to see things from another perspective, strictly speaking.

Influences

EYAEL: I can't help drawing a parallel with Stephen King's It novel. However different both words may be, the issues are the same — namely adults turning a blind eye and having no significant presence; repeating cycles; kids disappearing; and even something similar to the “bogs from hell”.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Well, I must confess I don't think I ever read any Stephen King book. I think the only one I ever read was his essay on writing. Actually, I don't really know his world. But it's disconcerting. Really disconcerting.

EYAEL: It also reminded me of Haraki Murakami, a Japanese author a friend introduced me to — as without realising it, you shift from harsh realism to some supernatural dimension without embracing the codes of fantasy per say. The boundaries are quite blurred.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Regarding the supernatural dimension, I didn't realise it at the time.It's only later, when asked “Actually, what kind of book is this?” That was right before it hit the shelves. There has been considerable talk with my publisher. Indeed, what kind of book is this?

After careful consideration, I'm thinking about magic realism which is a Latin American literary trend. Actually, when I was a student, I studied Spanish at the university and read some books from this literary trend, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think I may also include the House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. And a novel I really enjoyed was A House in the Country by José Donoso, with such an atmosphere — exactly the type of enclosed place in which sort of coexist a very harsh reality and a small-step-aside dimension that leaves you wondering whether it's true or not. Is it really this supernatural dimension or is it the characters' delusion? It's very difficult to say and I love that! That uncertainty.

But uncertainty is not always well-lived. I think some readers would prefer it to be more clear-cut and to be said. The fact that somehow it's up to them to decide, some like it and some don't. I don't think I'll always systematically write the same type of endings. But in this case, for me, it made sense. I think it's kind of like scales. I do tip them, one way more than the other. But you see, closed endings or which provide very polarised answers are not what I feel most comfortable with. I want to offer something else.

Characters

EYAEL: In my opinion, Vincent and Sofie are the two most significant characters in the story, in the sense that they truly bring change to other characters and advance the plot itself. Still, they're not part of the narrators of this choral novel. Was it deliberate?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: In fact, looking back, but it wasn't during the writing process, I actually realise I pretty much only talk about pairs.

Because the Iris character, her whole story revolves around her sister — her sis; for Madeleine, it's in regard to Louise; for Guy, it's in regard to Sofie; and for Pierre, t's in regard to Vincent. And I realised each of these characters actually develops in regard to another character.

And as you say, in this case, Vincent and Sofie are very interesting characters indeed. They come up with something else. Something totally different from the codes of grammar school. And in a way, they stand on quite hazardous grounds. Here, Vincent puts Pierre at risk. It's both fascinating and dangerous.

As for Sofie, she's the middle way. Personally, Sofie is one of my favourite characters. I think I would have loved to have a Sofie in my class in grammar school. She can see clearly. She can see it's kind of a great delusion ultimately. That it's all a game, really. Some kind of play in which everyone has a role. She says "Okay, no thanks, it's a game. It's just that I'm NOT playing it".

EYAEL: Each character seems to have a highly meaningful name in regard to what they are.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: I know that as regard to naming, for the Mirror Visitor, I had chosen all the characters' names by ear because it sounded great. And then we found out that etymologically it had significant meaning, which was totally unintended. Otherwise it might indeed have been my subconscious at work.

So I said “now I really want to pick up the names in a very conscious and assumed way”. And I do know why I gave each one their name.

EYAEL: So Iris is the one with the all-seeing eye …

CHRISTELLE DABOS: That's right!

Sofie listened to me … what’s that word again? Intently. It’s like she touches my words with every inch of her skin, and captures something underlying them, some hidden meaning that completely escapes me. I really don’t listen like she does.

~ Guy

EYAEL: Sofie is the voice of wisdom … but why is it spelled with an “F”?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: As for Sofie, I did a search as I wanted to know the most popular girl name in the world. And actually, that was Sofie, Sofia, but with an F as the PH was specifically French. I said I want that name to sound the most universal possible.

I’m the odd number, the jack of spades, the lousy kid, and no one can take that away from me.

~ Pierre

EYAEL: Pierre (which also means “stone” in French — Ed.) for hard-heartedness?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Well, for the character named Pierre, his name actually comes from the jack of spades in the deck of cards. In fact, I knew court cards had names. I knew the names of all the kings and queens, but for jacks, I realised I didn't. So when I found Pierre (Peter) was the name of the jack of spades¹, I thought that's perfect.

However, that's just for France. I'm not sure the same goes for other countries.². So, unfortunately, I think when they translated the book, they kept the original French names. I thought it might have made sense to adapt translations for each country. But it's no big deal.

In retrospect, it's rather a good thing since he's always slouching. There's quite a rock-ish side to him.

And I’m already not that keen on dishing out blows as it is, so receiving them …

~ Guy

EYAEL: Guy (or “gui” which is “mistletoe” in French — Ed. ) is a parasite …

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Actually, for Guy's class, I was very much inspired by Robin Hood. It's really a class where you get two clans, the Top ones and the Bottom ones, with these heavy collections — taxes. Except it's a Robin Hood class without Robin Hood.

Incidentally, in the legend of Robin Hood, there's a character who is quite hard to pidgeon-hole. It's Guy of Gisborne who, according to versions, is either a mercenary or the Sheriff's cousin. But he's quite an ambivalent character. You don't always know whose side he's on. So for this character,  I thought, “clearly he's not a Robin Hood”.

Besides, that's the reason why there's also the Prince figure. He's really Prince John.

It’s either her or me; there can’t be two Chosen Ones Here.

~ Madeleine

EYAEL: Madeleine for Mary Magdalene, the martyr?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: So for Madeleine, I was truly inspired by Saint Mary Magdalene whom, in my mind, I crossed over with — but it's not reflected in her name — Joan of Arc. They are actually two saint figures you can merge into one.

Vincent hums right through trig. The hatred festering in the class has no effect on him. He’s an island, Vincent, always has been; pacifism in flesh and bone, but mainly flesh. Separately, we’re odd ones. Together, we’re nothing.

~ Pierre

EYAEL: Vincent reminds me of Saint Vincent who died laughing and singing under torture.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Oh no, I didn't know. For Vincent … I can't remember about Pierre's class. I know it must be an odd number, that's what makes me think he's in a class of 25. It's silly but Vincent sounds like 20-100 (in French vingt cent — Ed.). It's actually a 'digit' name. There are names like that. Also, it was really a matter of numbers for this particular class. Pierre is the odd number.

Our proof of the intramural distortion of the field of reality is an unidentified substance that we have called “the schmoil.” The schmoil is the very reason the Top-Secret Club was founded, when Number One discovered its existence forti … fortuitously in one of the school’s gutters, used to drain away dirty water. One aspect sepci … spefic … specific to the schmoil is that it runs in the gutter just once a week, always on a Thursday and always very precisely at 2:28 P.M., but never during the school holidays.

~ The Top-Secret Club

EYAEL: As for the Top-Secret Club, they are some kind of ”conspiracy theorists”, aren't they? The way they're asking all sorts of questions, investigate and notice all the weird stuff others don't or won't see. That thing with the “schmoil”, in particular — couldn't it be related to the pollution of groundwater supplies?

CHRISTELLE DABOS:  Actually, when I was a kid, that was just before grammar school, with my little brother and neighbours, we would explore the neighbourhood and once we came across a super weird substance in a stream. And for us, there was no doubt the substance was either alien or ghostlike. And since we'd just seen Ghostbusters at the movies …

The thing is we couldn't remember the name. The real name was slime. But we had forgotten and so it became schmoil. We totally distorted the name. We collected samples in test tubes. My neighbour had the Little Chemist boxset and so he conducted experiments to see if I mix this with that …

Of course, nothing came up. But please, don't do that at home! If you find a weird substance in a stream, stay away from it!

We just had no idea.

I must confess that's the childhood memory I reinjected. Because honestly, for my neighbours, my brother and I to come across this weird substance, there's something wrong, really. Kids should never come across such highly suspicious substances.

I must say I had much fun with the Top-Secret Club. They really made me laugh.

Incidentally, their names are never mentioned. It's only Number One, Number Two, Number Three, Number Four and so on. And so neither did I want their gender to be known. I never mention it except for Number Three. With that exception, the rest we don't know whether they are boys or girls. I don't mention it and I think it's not important.

However, the question arose for the audiobook as they had hired actors — I think there was one with a female voice. Basically, since it was written, I thought this way no one knows. We have no idea of their identity and it's not important.

Anyway, their thinking is really far-reaching. Because again, there's an autobiographical edge. When I was 13 — that year, I came upon books in my grand-mother's library and I thought, "oh dear!" For me, if something was written in a book, it had to be true. I had absolutely no critical thinking whatsoever. If it's written, if it's printed, then it must be true.

So I came upon books about all sorts of esoteric matters. There was really all sorts of stuff. So I had this adolescent stage when I would see signs everywhere. And for me it was like a mixture of Madeleine and the Top-Secret Club. I was really into that stuff.

And I had fun with them in the sense that they keep predicting an apocalypse, but somehow they're taking part in it. They do remain behind the scenes, but somehow as observers, they're not so neutral as that.

It's true that humour is very important. This is not my easiest book I must say, but the humour … Regardless of them, there are things I wrote which really made me laugh. But between me laughing my head off and the reader potentially timidly cracking a smile, there may be a small discrepancy. Anyway, clearly I went to great lengths with the Top-Secret Club. And I laughed a lot.

And in this regard, I really enjoyed what they did with the audiobook. Incidentally, all the people who discovered Here and Only Here in its audio form have that in common that they all loved the story (I'm one of these people — Ed.). I did listen to the recordings and found they perfectly captured the spirit. That's exactly how they sounded like in my mind.

To be continued in part 3 …

Interview by Ey@el
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