Cara Hoffman’s SO MUCH PRETTY strikes at the roots of violence against women. It tells the story of a town’s complicity in the disappearance and murder of Wendy White, a wholesome and pragmatic young woman who resists the “blame the victim” attitude that permeates our culture’s response to rape. Thanks to its remarkably thoughtful orchestration, this debut novel is one of the most difficult to discuss without spoilers–but suffice to say here, the plot is tied loosely but carefully together by an out-of-town journalist’s work on the case.
Yet while the attempt to find White pulls the narrative forward, most of the novel’s surprises lie in the sustained urgency of Cara Hoffman’s writing: As I read, I encountered in every chapter, in every point of view, and between each line, that we already know the story. We’ve lived it in our own lives. We’ve been raped, or supported someone who has, or worked with groups of women who have survived years of sexually violent marriage–or especially, been presented with rape and dominance disguised as forms of entertainment. The particular power of fiction is to enlist our capacity for empathy and our tolerance for uncertainty, and then ask us a question. SO MUCH PRETTY asks why we put up with so much violence. And why, even when we attempt to live nonviolent lives, do our efforts seem so powerless?
In a slightly different vein of inquiry, I’m honored to discuss the novel with Cara on this blog. She received her Masters of Fine Arts in Writing from Goddard College in 2009. She has been a guest lecturer at Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and taught English at Lehman Alternative Community School and Tompkins Cortland Community College. She lives in Manhattan with her son and works as a writing tutor at the Lower Eastside Girls Club. SO MUCH PRETTY was released on March 14 to great reviews in the New York Times and all over the blogosphere.
A link to the book on Amazon
1. Before crafting the story, you did an extraordinary amount of research on it–not only about the original case, but also covering a range of social thinkers like Derrick Jensen and Carolyn Merchant. Tell us about SO MUCH PRETTY. How much of the story came from a sensibility you developed while researching, versus what you already knew and wanted to express?
Such a good question. I did do a lot of research on violence against women looking at specific cases and statistics. I also immersed myself in theory and history, and focused heavily on the intersection between environmental issues and violence against various populations throughout time. I was an environemental reporter so much of this came very naturally and had been a part of my job. Authors like Derrick Jensen, Hannah Arendt, Monique Wittig, and of course Guy Debord whose philosophy is central to the novel, were important to me throughout my life and clearly their work had an impact on my work. But there was certainly a synthesis of the research I did concerning anti-social masculinity and violence and my own foundations in philosophical and political thought.
2. Again, trying not to spoil the plot too much… but late in the novel, the story takes a leap. After White’s body is found, Alice Piper, a brilliant and promising high school senior, responds unexpectedly to the news. She’s been raised by thoughtful, ethical parents–but in that moment, her decision escapes the spirit of everything they raised her to be. To me, it was a hopeless moment. What do you see as the failure that led to her actions? Was it human? Social?
This is a tough one to talk about without giving too much away. I would say that what happens to Alice doesn’t necessarily go against the way she was raised or the society in which she was rooted, and this is part of the overall mystery. Alice’s fate could be read as a social/familial failure or as the culmination of everything that made her who she was, a success. I would say if there was a failure that led to Alice’s fate it was in the shared delusion of her parents that a rural life meant a wholesome life. Genius or not, she was very much a product of her enviornment and her isolation.
3. You give a shout out to punk culture and the anarchy symbol. Having spent enough time around Portland, Oregon’s anarchists and admiring Ursula K. LeGuin’s use of the philosophy in her early novels, I found one of the book’s most startling lines to be when Alice says: “Nothing ever made me feel quite this responsible.” In a land without government, or with a totally indifferent government, peace and justice depend on everyone’s nuanced understanding of personal responsibility. Besides starting a new society from scratch, what needs to be done today, right now, to work for women’s equality and protection?
Wow. This is another fantastic question. I am always a big fan of mutual aid and solidarity and the concept of infinite responsibility. Those are foundational anarchist beliefs that can do everyone a lot of good. For me the answer lies in direct action. What needs to be done today is that people act. Writing, or giving money to charity, or being responsible in your own social circle is really not enough and it probably never will be. The magnitide of the violence we’re dealing with, and the way it has become normal for us to see it everywhere and accept it as our fate or as individual, anomolous acts…these are things we have to actively fight against. And I see that fight taking a variety of forms, none of them passive.
4. On a lighter note, you seem to have done everything right in launching your novel. I learned about it online weeks before the release date, and was eager to get my hands on a copy. That kind of response from potential readers is every debut novelist’s dream. What helped you? What advice do you have for other first-time authors?
I had an incredible publicity team and very dedicated, very smart editor and agent. I listened to them and essentially did everything they told me to do. Part of that was blogging which has been a lot of fun and enabled me to connect with some great folks.
Check out Cara’s book and another interview about it on its Amazon page. Her blog is here, and her series of guest blogs for Porland’s own Powell’s Books is here. She’s also on Twitter.
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