At one point in the book, it is mentioned that the American author ended her life by sticking her head in the gas oven. But Lee Chia-Ying emphasizes that the book is not about Sylvia Plath or suicide.
The title stands as a metaphor for the will to preserve something and for metaphorical death. I think it captures the whole essence of the book.
What the book is about, and what has made critics and readers in a number of countries praise it, is the concept of memory. The main character, Adan, writes a novel about his childhood, about exclusion and about his parents' divorce.
True or false
But what is true and what is false when she tries to remember? Adan contacts some of his classmates and soon discovers that much of what he thinks he remembers didn't happen or happened in a different way.
Lee Chia-Ying first published three critically acclaimed short story collections, but then fell silent. It took 16 years before she made a comeback with "A Good Day to Stick Your Head in the Oven."
I had started a novel, but then this idea came up. In the second book there is a character who is similar to me and I didn't want to write too much about myself. So could I develop the idea in another book?
I think many of us have had the experience of thinking about things that happened to us in our lives, and then when we talk about it with friends and family, they say, “No, no, that’s not how it happened.” What is real? How do we define real memories?
Great success
In the time between the short story collections and the current book, Lee Chia-Ying managed to get married, have two children, and move to Boston. She now divides her time between Boston and Taipei. And in Taiwan, the book has been a huge success, which surprises her.
Really. It's like a kind of mock memoir, it's a female author who's not famous. I liked the material but thought we'd be happy if we sold 1,000 copies. Instead, it was a hit in Taiwan and has been sold to 23 countries around the world.
In early September, she will come to Stockholm and Malmö to meet her readers and be interviewed on stage.
I'm a little nervous, but I'm really looking forward to it. It's my first international event.
Family: Husband and two children.
Lives: In Boston and Taipei.
Occupation: Writer.
Previous works: Three short story collections.
Current: The novel "A Good Day to Stick Your Head in the Oven".
