Readers of Heather Morris’s The Tattooist of Auschwitz and watchers of The Queen’s Gambit won’t want to miss this amazing debut set during World War II. A young Polish resistance worker, imprisoned in Auschwitz as a political prisoner, plays chess in exchange for her life, and in doing so fights to bring the man who destroyed her family to justice.
We chat with author Gabriella Saab about her debut novel The Last Checkmate, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Gabriella! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi everyone! I’m Gabriella Saab, currently residing in my home town of Mobile, Alabama, where I work as a barre fitness instructor and historical novelist. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading (of course!), good food, craft cocktails, Netflix, barre classes, spending time with family and friends, and walking my toy Yorkie, Holly Golightly. The Last Checkmate is my debut novel and I absolutely cannot wait for you to read it!
As the year gradually draws to a close, how has your 2021 been?
What a whirlwind this year has been! Outside of work and the day-to-day, it’s been full speed ahead with debut preparation. I had no idea about everything that goes on behind the scenes before a book hits the shelf, but this year taught me so much. It’s been crazy, busy, and so much fun, and I’ve loved every second.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
My parents read to me every day, which was so important in shaping an early love and interest in reading, and I think the first book I ever read on my own was one in the Nancy Drew series. I was about five years old or so and I was totally hooked. And it just so happens that those books were the ones that made me want to become an author! The first story I wrote, around age six, was a Nancy Drew-inspired mystery. From that day onward, I was always reading and writing across many genres, but the book that got me interested in writing histfic was probably Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. A book that I can’t stop thinking about is Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon – such skill in craft and structure and based on the true story of WWII heroine Nancy Wake. I always recommend it!
Your new novel, The Last Checkmate, is out October 19th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Justice, courage, hope, sacrificial love.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a heartwrenching story set in one of history’s darkest periods, a story that champions women by exploring lesser-known aspects of World War II history with a dash of chess that will be accessible to all, whether you know the game well or not.
Where did the inspiration for The Last Checkmate come from?
I always enjoyed reading WWII fiction and studying the time period, and The Last Checkmate was inspired by true stories of the Polish resistance movement, the camp resistance movement in Auschwitz, and the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz. This group of women, mostly Jews, were spared death but forced to use their skills to play during prisoner executions and to perform for the guards. The chess aspect of the story was my main character’s idea. As I was getting to know Maria, my main character, and figuring out how to weave these interesting bits of history together, she made it very clear that she was a talented chess player, and there was my answer. Research also led me to study the history of women in chess and people like Vera Menchik, the first women’s world chess champion.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Finding the right balance with research tends to be tricky for me – there’s always SO much and every bit of it is interesting, so I have to be careful about extraneous details. I enjoy editing and feedback, both in editing myself or applying notes from critique partners, so between the two with this book, I realized what was necessary and what could be cut without negatively impacting the story. Also, with this story in particular, balancing the heavy subject matter was important. I needed to portray the violence and horror of Auschwitz without making it feel watered down or, alternatively, gratuitous, as if for shock value. I’m fortunate to have an incredible group of writer friends and an amazing agent and editor, all of whom help me bring out the best in my work, and this was something they were great about helping me get right.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
So many of these characters resonated with me, but I think the relationship between Maria and her two friends, Irena and Hania, took me by the most surprise and became so special to me. All three came to me with such distinct voices and told me exactly who they were and the roles they would play in one another’s lives, even bigger roles than I initially anticipated. It’s such a joy to connect with your characters and to be able to explore such strong, supportive female friendships.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Know your craft! Stringing words together is an important skill, but it’s also important to turn those words into a cohesive story. Plot structure, character development, all of it is necessary! Read your favorite authors and pick up a craft book or two, and you will be a better writer because of it.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully many more books! My second is in the works, so we’ll see what happens!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
For more incredible works of historical fiction, some books I’ve enoyed recently are Ariel Lawhon’s, as mentioned, as well as The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. For nonfiction/memoir about Auschwitz, Night by Elie Wiesel and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. For writing craft, The Anatomy of Story by John Truby.
You can find Gabriella on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads, along with at her website.
