Dani Shapiro on Devotion (A Q&A)

Today, Hartford Books Examiner welcomes Dani Shapiro.

A resident of Litchfield County, Ms. Shapiro is the author of seven published books and numerous short stories and essays which have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, Elle, Bookforum, and Oprah. She is also a contributing editor to Travel + Leisure and guest editor of Best New American Voices 2010.

Her newest release, Devotion, is a non-fiction exploration of spirituality that grapples with matters such as her Jewish heritage and her conflicted familial relations. The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it, “"An insightful and penetrating memoir that readers will instantly identify with...Absorbing, intimate, direct and profound, Shapiro’s memoir is a satisfying journey that will touch fans and win her plenty of new ones."

Now, Ms. Shapiro offers a candid look into the creation of, and meaning behind, Devotion…

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1) Your new memoir, DEVOTION, explores spiritual issues such as life, love, loss, and faith. What inspired you to undertake such heavy subject matter? Was it difficult to create a book that appeals to both the faithful and the not-so-sure?

The idea for Devotion brewed inside of me for a long time without my even knowing it. In my own way, I had been on a search for something to believe all my life. I was raised in a very religious (Orthodox Jewish) family, and though I fled what felt like a restrictive upbringing, I hadn't replaced it with anything. I felt uncomfortable dabbling in other traditions, as if I was somehow being unfaithful to my heritage. I practiced yoga, made half-hearted stabs at learning to meditate, bought lots of books about spirituality but rarely read them -- and then one day, I was in the middle of my yoga practice when it came to me that I really needed to know: what did I believe? I was the mother of a young son who had started to ask me a lot of questions about God, death, afterlife -- and I didn't know what to tell him. So I decided to spend a few years living inside of all the questions I had, to see what I could discover about myself and what I believed.

As for creating a book that appeals to both the faithful and the not-so-sure, I think Devotion rides that line precisely because that's where I live. Yearning for a kind of faith, but not being so sure about the hows and whys of it. Wanting to feel the solace of faith, but not just as a cure-all, but rather as something truly meaningful. As the theologian Paul Tillich once wrote, "Doubt isn't the absence of faith. It's an element of faith."

2) How did you find the process of writing a memoir in comparison to writing fiction? Did your role as wife and mother ever cause you pause before releasing something so personal for public scrutiny?

Writing fiction and memoir -- I have alternated between the two for my whole writing life it seems -- are two different animals. Fiction is an act of imagination, memoir an act of memory, and crafting memory into a story. I love both forms, and when I have ideas for books, they very much present themselves to me as one or the other. As a wife and mother, when I'm writing fiction I feel completely free (after all, it's invented!) but when writing memoir, I am careful and have my own set of internal rules for what is fair game, and what is off limits. I want to feel that my son, when he grows up, will feel that I protected his privacy. At the same time, I do write about him in certain ways, because how can I not? Being his mother is such an essential part of who I am. My husband is a writer too--he writes screenplays which are not at all autobiographical--but still, we talk about his all the time. I'm very concerned with the fine line between being an artist and being a mother, and making sure the line stays clear.

3) Is there any particular message that you want readers to take away from your book or do you wish them to find their own meaning? Also, was there anything that you came away with from writing DEVOTION that was surprising to you?

I certainly would hope that my readers would find their own meaning in Devotion, and I've already heard wonderful responses from people who are sparked by something in the book to create their own rituals, or to think of their lives differently. I didn't set out to do that while writing the book, but it's enormously gratifying to hear it! I didn't write the book with a message in mind--only an exploration--but I would say that what surprised me, and what I've come away understanding, is that it really is valid--more than valid, perhaps even necessary in today's world--to incorporate wisdom and practices from a number of different faiths and traditions, if that's something that someone wants to do. There really isn't a contradiction between being Jewish, say, and being a Buddhist. Or gleaning wisdom from the words of a Catholic monk. Or practicing ancient meditation techniques. I think so many of us have felt stuck between the lessons of our childhood, which may have grounded us, but also made us feel stuck -- and the possibilities for leading a more illuminating meaningful life by being open to other traditions and ways of thinking. By being connected, rather than separate.

4) You live in Connecticut. How does the local flavor inspire your work? Do you find that being separated from the hub of the literary world affects your career?

We moved to Connecticut from New York seven years ago, when my son was a toddler. It was one of the best moves we've ever made. I had lived in the city my whole adult life, and I love it with a passion, but I didn't want to live there at this point --and in fact, that move plays a significant part in Devotion. The quiet, the peace, the shape of my days has been very good for my inner life--both personally, and in terms of my writing life, if the two can even be separated. As for being away from the hub of the literary world, my career has only grown and grown since I moved away. I already knew everyone, anyway. This time in life is really about doing the work, and I get to do that in the quiet of my house on the hill.

5) What can you tell us about your future projects?

Right now I'm about to embark on a book tour for Devotion which will go well into the spring, so I probably won't be starting any major new projects until this book is safely launched into the world. I am continuing to blog about Devotion on my website, because I realized, when I finished, that I missed writing about it!

6) If you had to recommend one book, not your own, to readers, which would it be and why?

One book? Only one book? There are so many books I love. Since we've been talking about Connecticut here, I guess I'll say Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates. To my mind, it's the best novel of suburban angst ever written -- which is really saying something.

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Dani Shapiro will be appearing on The Faith Middleton Show on WNPR radio this afternoon at 3 PM. She will also be discussing and signing Devotion at R.J. Julia on Tuesday at 7 PM. Tickets to for this event are $5, which may be used toward the purchase price of the book. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the store at 203-245-3959 or by emailing books@rjjulia.com. Those unable to attend can still purchase a signed copy of the book by clicking here. R.J. Julia Booksellers is located at 768 Boston Post Road in Madison.