Q&A: Susan Meissner, Author of ‘The Nature of Fragile Things’

Written by contributor Courtney Blanton

Historical fiction fans rejoice as Susan Meissner has a new novel titled The Nature of Fragile Things. I recently sat down with the author and asked her some questions about her new release, book recommendation, and more!

Your new novel, The Nature of Fragile Things, is out now. If you could only describe it with five words, what would they be?

Things aren’t as they seem.

Now, tell us a little more!

In THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS, a mail-order bride’s world cracks wide open on the eve of the great 1906 earthquake when she finds out the San Francisco widower she married isn’t who he said he was. Sophie had managed to cobble together a version of happiness for herself despite marrying a stranger but when the quake hits, everything in her world begins to crumble beneath her feet – and I mean everything! Sophie’s fate is soon intertwined with the destinies of two other women, as well as that of the little girl to whom she had become an instant mother and now loves very much. Sophie is thrust onto a perilous journey that will test her resiliency and resolve, and ultimately, her belief that love can overcome fear. It’s a novel about the bonds of friendship and mother-love, and the power of female solidarity.

How did you come up with the title?

The title came to me rather quickly during the writing process and has significance for me for two reasons. First, the 1906 quake was so devastating to San Francisco because the city had been built on the underground boundary of two massive tectonic plates. It was a city of fragile structures, poised on a fault, and piped with gas lines and water mains that were also fragile. By contrast, fragility’s opposite – which is strength – was found in the people that survived it. Secondly, Sophie and the other key female characters in the book lived during a time when women were seen as fragile creatures with very little agency. They go on to prove within the pages of the book that both are false notions. The nature of something fragile is that when hurled to the ground, it will shatter. But I suggest in this story that not everything that looks fragile, is fragile.

What made you decide to set the story in 20th century San Francisco?

California is my home state so its history is already of interest to me, plus living here means the research aspect is easier to approach than other places I have written about. I have also lately been drawn to look for the stories in the places in which I find myself.  For a long while I was attracted to certain historic events and their locales were always secondary. But recently I’ve looked for stories in the places where I am. They are there. Some, I think, are just waiting to be told. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was one of these stories itching to be told because of how defining it was. I find it amazing that a short, rubbing together of two tectonic plates 120 miles below the ground could bring about such jaw-dropping destruction.

Your main characters are all women dealing with their own struggles. Did you always want your characters to be strong female leads?

I think now more than ever readers appreciate female characters finding their voices and championing their own causes and rising up to be their own knights in shining armor but with this particular book I wasn’t looking to write a story about strong women; the backdrop of the earthquake and the fire – such imposing hurdles – just seemed a great fit. I think what I like best about the female characters in THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS is that they really didn’t know how strong they were until they were cast into a crucible and discovered it. Maybe that’s the way it is for all of us?  I do think every great story features a character on a journey to find the best that is inside them.

Which character do you feel like you relate to most?

This is one of those books where all three of the main female characters have a little bit of me in them, even if it’s just the me I aspire to be if I was put to the test and then found the strength to meet it. Because these characters are revealed to the reader in delicate fashion, I won’t say more about which one I relate to the most, but I will say I don’t think I’m as brave as Sophie. I don’t think I would answer a mail-order bride ad. But then again, I’ve never faced the kind of hardships she faced. Perhaps none of us knows what we would be willing to do to grab hold of security until forced to choose.

What’s one thing you hope readers take away from this novel?

This is the first book of mine in a while to have what I would call a mystery thread at its core with some significant twists and turns, and so I would love for every reader to enjoy the ride. But I would also feel like I’d done some literary good if readers of THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS stopped to consider the constructs of their own lives and what they are building, and to consider that all of it can be swept away in an instant except the love you have for the people you care about. Even if someone is taken from you in this fragile life, you get to keep all the love that you have for him or her. I love that about love. It can’t be taken from you.

What advice do you have for aspiring historical fiction writers? 

Read great works of historical fiction (you don’t have time for fluff), dial into a time period that you love and park there for awhile so that you can begin to feel like you actually lived then, and don’t skimp on the research. You won’t use it all – please don’t try – but you need to know it all.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers? 

A few of my favorite reads of late have been THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn and THE WOMEN OF CHATEAU LAFAYETTE by Stephanie Dray. Both are gems, both are written by truly gifted wordsmiths, both are expertly researched and brimming with memorable characters and rich, historical detail, and both are releasing in March. These two books are Quinn and Dray at the top of their game. I also just finished THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V. E. SCHWAB and I was blown away by the premise (haunting), the writing (utterly delicious), and the construction (flawless). It concerns a young woman so desperate to get out of an arranged marriage she bargains with the devil. The ending is the most satisfying conclusion to a book as I have read in a long time.

Will you be picking up The Nature of Fragile Things? Tell us in the comments below!