Off the Page Literary Celebration Presents Chris Bohjalian, Part 1

Bohjalian with "his" edition of Cosmo 

Author Chris Bohjalian began his talk at Sarasota's Off the Page Literary Celebration with some sobering facts. Only 16% of Americans read for pleasure on a regular basis. Fewer people than ever read fiction, a form of writing that builds empathy as we imagine other people's lives. Books are being pulled off the shelves in libraries at an alarming rate. (Bohjalian's own "Midwives" has been banned in Florida due to the use of the word "vulva" by a character who's an OB/GYN.) Ugh. These reminders of the world in which we live makes me appreciate Sarasota's vibrant library system even more. And now to some book talk. 

Bohjalian says he "found his voice" at an early age. This realization occurred when he was cleaning out his father's home after he had passed away. Tucked away in a box under the bed was a copy of a short story Bohjalian had written when he was nine. The final sentence read "The dripping stopped and the vultures had their meal." Whoa! These were words that could appear in one of his novels today. Bohjalian also noted his excellent penmenship, which he bragged made him a cool kid on the playground. He is quite funny. 

Despite this auspicious beginning, Bohjalian's path to becoming a successful author wasn't a straight line. When he was in college, the professor teaching his short story seminar advised him to become a banker. (This didn't really seem like a good option to Bohjalian given that he'd failed Econ.) He persevered, but there were plenty of bumps in the road ahead. His first published fiction (by his count, his 250th submission) appeared in 1988 in Cosmopolitan. Bohjalian reported that it was the lone issue of the magazine that contained full frontal nudity. His story about a female supermodel fit right in. 

Bohjalian's first published novel hit the shelves that same year. The reviews of "A Killing in the Real World" were memorable, but not in a good way. The Publishers' Weekly review started, "Mystery buffs won't find anyone to care about or much of the 'real world' in Bohjalian's debut." The reviews didn't get better from there. Still, the book is memorable for the fact that author James Patterson wrote the blurb for the cover. (The two were colleagues at an ad agency at the time.) 

I kind of hate to go on about a book nobody has or -- in Bohjalian's opinion -- should read, but he was just so hilarious about it. When the novel came out, it was also reviewed in the Boston Globe. A friend called to give him the news. He asked the obvious question. "Is it a good review?" "I don't remember," she responded. "Well, can you read it to me?" "Um, I would, but it's already bound up in the basement." Clearly, something was up. When Bohjalian found the review the next day at the library, he understood why his friend didn't want to read him the commentary, which called his writing "styleless and without grace." Today, he can't argue with the review. "The book was sub-par in every way I can imagine and some I probably cannot." Still, he persevered. That was 25 books and four adaptations of his novels ago. 

Next up: Bohjalian's thoughts on some of his work you've probably actually heard of, including The Flight Attendant.