Ask the Author: Michelle Cheever
[admin / May 6th, 2011 / Interviews ]1. How is a man’s wreckage attractive?
A man’s wreckage is attractive because “broken” is a beautiful word. The girl in the story knew she couldn’t save him by sleeping with him, if fact it probably made him feel all the more guilty, but she knew it would help him to forget for a little while.
2. How is a painting heavy and bulky to the eyes?
I suppose a painting could be heavy and bulky to the eyes if the painter used a palette knife instead of a brush. The painting referenced is “Automat” by Edward Hopper, and I’m unsure what he used to paint it. In any case the protagonist carries them to her apartment from the gallery, so they are heavy and bulky to her arms.
3. Why did you choose not to reveal who the main character was grieving over in “Automat”?
Actually, who the main character was grieving over was revealed. It’s quiet, but it’s there. Right after she sees a girl sitting too close to train tracks, the narrator mentions that when her mother committed suicide, no one in the apartment complex realized until the building smelling like rotten fruit and cat litter. Which is what a friend once told me a dead body smells like.
4. What do you like hiding in your body?
I mainly like hiding food in my body. Exclusive to mouth and stomach, however.
5. Who would you inhabit in Six Feet Under?
I would like to inhabit Claire because I’ve always wished to be a redhead.
6. What song would you want playing at your funeral?
I would want “Nectarine” by Twin Sister to play at my funeral, mostly because it is really pretty and I want more people to hear it, and to a lesser degree because I guess its lyrics could be misinterpreted as funereal.