Susan Midalia is the author of three short story collections, all shortlisted for major Australian literary awards: A History of the Beanbag, An Unknown Sky and Feet to the Stars. Her debut novel The Art of Persuasion was published in 2018 and her new release is Everyday Madness. She also works as a freelance editor, mentor and workshop facilitator, and has had articles published on contemporary Australian women’s fiction in national and international journals. Everyday Madness is available in all good bookstores and online.
Hi, Susan! Tell us a bit about yourself!
I have a PhD in contemporary Australian women’s fiction, and have published on the subject in national and international journals. In 2006 I quit my teaching job in order to write fiction full-time. Since then, I’ve published three short story collections, all shortlisted for major Australian literary awards, and two novels. I work as a fiction editor, a mentor for emerging writers and a workshop facilitator, and have judged numerous writing competitions, including the Western Australian Premiers Book Awards and the T.A.G. Hungerford Award. I’m also delighted to be the Prose Fiction Editor for Westerly. I’ve been married for nearly forty years, and have two adult sons, of whom I am ridiculously proud. I’m also a passionate Eagles fan, as well as a lousy cook. If I could live my life over again, I’d be a stand-up comedian, because I can think of few things more joyful than making a room full of people laugh (with me, not at me).
Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author and the one you can’t stop thinking about!
A book that made a lasting impression on me is a novel called A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle. I was struck by its ambition themes about time travel, identity and the meaning of life. Important issues, all seen through the prism of family life. It made me realise how a skilful writer can combine the familiar and the unknown, the everyday and the extraordinary, to encourage readers to expand their imaginative horizons.
When did you first discover your love of reading?
This remains one of my most vivid memories: walking into a classroom on my first day of school and gazing up at the alphabet frieze pinned to the wall. Aa for Apple, all the way through to Zz for Zebra, kicking up its heels. I remember thinking that soon I would be able to arrange all those letters into words and sentences and discover all kinds of new worlds. I learned to read very quickly. I particularly remember the Little Golden Books, full of the strange and wondrous experiences found in fairy tales.
Your new novel is out now. If you could describe it in five words what would they be?
Five words to describe my new novel Everyday Madness: compassionate, hopeful, witty, observant, moving.
What can readers expect?
Readers will discover four different voices: a middle-aged man Bernard and his wife Gloria; their former daughter-in-law Meg; and their granddaughter Ella. Readers can expect a story about a dysfunctional marriage and family, and a story about how so-called ordinary, rational people can think and behave quite irrationally under the pressure of personal and social circumstances. I hope, too, that readers will be moved by the struggles of my four main characters, but also, in the process, be entertained and even amused.
What inspired you to write the novel?
I’ve always considered my short stories complete, but a highly unpleasant character called Alan, from a story in my third collection Feet to the Stars, kept nudging me to give him a second chance. I began to wonder whether it was possible for a cynical, arrogant middle-aged person to become kinder and more understanding of others. It’s hard work, this business of trying to be a better person, but I wanted to explore that possibility in the context of a marriage and a family. The result in my novel is Bernard, who when confronted with his wife’s sudden descent into illness and the indignity of losing his job, begins to reassess his character, and his life.
What were the challenges you faced when writing it and how did you overcome them?
I always struggle when writing fiction to create a plot: it’s the aspect of a novel I’m least interested in as both a writer and a reader. But of course, as the writer E.M. Forster wistfully observed: ‘Oh dear, yes, the novel must tell a story.’ I had to think about an overall narrative arc: where might my characters be headed, and why? It took countless drafts to work it out. Another huge challenge was capturing the voice of an eleven-year-old child: it’s a long time since I’ve been so young. I asked a friend’s granddaughter for feedback on an earlier draft; I also re-read a couple of Sonya Hartnett’s YA novels – she’s wonderful at evoking the anxieties and thwarted desires of young people. And of course, there’s the internet, to find out the typical preoccupations, cultural references and activities of contemporary western girls. I also found it challenging to create the character of Gloria because she is so unlike me: she’s an unhappily married, middle-aged woman who left school at 15. As a highly educated woman, the last thing I wanted was to sound patronising, or turn Gloria into a stereotype of a working-class woman with the proverbial heart of gold.
What were the parts of the novel you loved bringing to the page?
I loved creating the voices of all four characters, but the one I enjoyed the most was Meg, the former daughter-in-law of Gloria and Bernard. Meg is a bundle of contradictions: she’s a strong feminist whose anxious about her looks; an over-protective mother who wants her daughter to be independent; a woman who denounces her husband’s infidelity, but who blames herself for neglecting him. I loved revealing her complexity; her flaws, her virtues, and her ability to laugh at herself.
What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
The best writing advice: Don’t think you have to write about earth-shattering global events in order for your book to ‘matter’ to readers. Writing about so-called ordinary people and their ordinary lives can encourage readers to reflect on how they treat one another, and why. Because that’s the foundation for a more just and humane society.
The worst advice I ever received was to write with an eye to what ‘sells’: the ‘hot’ topic of the day. That sounds so depressingly strategic, and it’s not what good writing ought to be about. (Having said that, I would kill – metaphorically speaking – to write a bestseller).
What’s next for you?
My latest writing passion is flash fiction: stories with a maximum of 500 words. It’s both a lot of fun, and a challenge to write something really short that’s also resonant. I’ve already published quite a few, and keep coming up with more ideas. I’m also thinking of writing a third novel based on my parents’ experiences as post-war migrants to Australia, but right now, the thought of writing another long work feels a bit like wading through cement. Maybe I’ll get there eventually!
Do you have any reading recommendations for our readers?
I’ve been really struck by two new works of fiction by WA writers: Josephine Taylor’s debut novel Eye of a Rook, and Elizabeth Tan’s second book, a short story collection called Smart Ovens for Lonely People. Jo Taylor’s book is a dual narrative – set in contemporary and Victorian times – focused on the experience of chronic pain, female identity and creativity; it’s beautifully written and thoroughly engrossing. Liz Tan’s collection is quirky without being gimmicky, sometimes hilarious and sometimes deeply moving. It’s one of the best short story collections I’ve read in years. I’ve also recently admired Richard Flanagan’s latest novel, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams. It’s a passionate and audacious story about environmental devastation, the effects of technology on human identity and a sense of community, and the ethics of sustaining human life at all costs. It left me reeling for days.
