How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Ecklund?
By Anna Montague
(Ecco)

Interview by Diane Slocum

Magda Ecklund’s best friend, Sara, has died and Magda is having a hard time coping. To make matters worse, Sara’s husband gives Magda temporary custody of Sara’s ashes and Magda finds living with Sara’s remains complicated. During their long friendship, Sara always planned things for them to do together, but she died before she could set up a road trip to celebrate Magda’s 70 th birthday. Now, in her grief and sense of being at loose ends, Magda takes off cross-country with Sara’s turn riding shotgun. For Magda, it is a discovery not only of what is out there, but what is inside herself.

AUTHORLINK: What was your first idea for this story?

MONTAGUE: A psychiatrist who is excellent at her job but can’t manage to point that same astute sense of observation at herself.

AUTHORLINK: The story analyzes Magda, studying how she got to be the way she is and how she deals with life. How did you develop her story and her character?

MONTAGUE: Over time and through many, many drafts. Many scenes didn’t make it through to the final book.

AUTHORLINK: How did you research the psychiatric aspects of the story?

MONTAGUE: Old psychiatric journals, mostly.

AUTHORLINK: How did your story explore female friendships?

MONTAGUE: I wanted to explore the myriad ways in which friendship can change our lives, and change alongside us as we age. So the idea of delving into a lifelong
friendship – and its aftermath – was especially appealing.

AUTHORLINK: What were some of your favorite locations and characters Magda met along her way?

MONTAGUE: Oh, I’m fond of them all. You’ll have to read the novel and let me know what you think.

AUTHORLINK: Did you take any of Magda’s experiences from your own life?

MONTAGUE: No, it’s all fictional.

AUTHORLINK: At your age, how did you relate to Magda as she turned 70?

MONTAGUE: Too easily, maybe; I certainly feel more like I’m 70 than I do 30.

AUTHORLINK: Much of the story is in narrative, with dialogue summarized rather than showing it in a scene, even when it isn’t Magda remembering the past. How does that work for this particular story?

MONTAGUE: Magda is a reserved and contemplative person, which means that while her journey – the actual road trip – is a physical one, her emotional journey is internal. Her understanding of the world around her is less rooted in what people say as how they feel – or how they make her feel.

AUTHORLINK: What are you working on next?

MONTAGUE: My second novel – something quite different.

 

About the author: Anna Montague is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She began writing short stories when she was a young girl and has always been an avid reader. How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Ecklund? is her first novel.