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'THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS' TACKLES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
April 21, 2013, Sunday
by Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee
Chris Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian
Genocide. It was never published.
"It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking, 'Why should I write
a book about the Armenian Genocide when there were so many good ones
already, including 'Rise the Euphrates' by Carol Edgarian?'" says
Bohjalian. "The manuscript now resides in the archives of my alma
mater."
The Amherst College graduate went on to write 11 other books -
including his best-known work, "Midwives" - before finally getting
back to the subject with "The Sandcastle Girls."
The book was inspired by his grandparents - Leo and Haigoohi - who
survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, starting in 1915.
It's that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian write his novel, when
his first effort failed. He was determined to use the genocide as a
backdrop, despite being told by people in the publishing industry -
fortunately not his editor - that a book like "The Sandcastle Girls"
would be a career killer. They said a lack of knowledge of the killings
outside the Armenian community would make the book a tough sell.
He proved them wrong by telling two stories - one about lovers who meet
in Syria during the genocide and the other about their granddaughter's
efforts a century later to understand why they were so silent about
their youth.
The author's own grandparents never talked about what happened during
that brutal period. Bohjalian was able to get a lot of information
from his father, Aram, who also didn't talk about the genocide when
the author was young.
When Aram's health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son
spent a lot of time looking at old family photographs that sparked
conversations about the family. "The Sandcastle Girls" is dedicated
to Aram, and Bohjalian's mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died
in 2011.
This information helped the author write the opposite of a "train
wreck." The book - which could become a feature film - has earned high
praise, including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the Week.
"I have written so many books that were successful, where people
thought they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about
midwives, I was told no one outside of New England would know what
I was talking about," says Bohjalian.
He was glad that he didn't let the critics stop him. "The Sandcastle
Girls" has been an educational tool for many readers. There are
thousands of comments on Bohjalian's Facebook page from people who
had no knowledge of the genocide until reading about it in his book.
"Because so many people outside the Armenian community hadn't heard
about the genocide, I was determined to get it right when I started
this book," says Bohjalian.
He is also determined to talk about the book as often as possible. The
trips give him a chance to thank the members of the Armenian community
who have embraced the book.
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
April 21, 2013, Sunday
by Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee
Chris Bohjalian wrote a novel 20 years ago based on the Armenian
Genocide. It was never published.
"It was a train wreck. Then I started thinking, 'Why should I write
a book about the Armenian Genocide when there were so many good ones
already, including 'Rise the Euphrates' by Carol Edgarian?'" says
Bohjalian. "The manuscript now resides in the archives of my alma
mater."
The Amherst College graduate went on to write 11 other books -
including his best-known work, "Midwives" - before finally getting
back to the subject with "The Sandcastle Girls."
The book was inspired by his grandparents - Leo and Haigoohi - who
survived the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, starting in 1915.
It's that larger meaning that helped Bohjalian write his novel, when
his first effort failed. He was determined to use the genocide as a
backdrop, despite being told by people in the publishing industry -
fortunately not his editor - that a book like "The Sandcastle Girls"
would be a career killer. They said a lack of knowledge of the killings
outside the Armenian community would make the book a tough sell.
He proved them wrong by telling two stories - one about lovers who meet
in Syria during the genocide and the other about their granddaughter's
efforts a century later to understand why they were so silent about
their youth.
The author's own grandparents never talked about what happened during
that brutal period. Bohjalian was able to get a lot of information
from his father, Aram, who also didn't talk about the genocide when
the author was young.
When Aram's health began to deteriorate in 2009, father and son
spent a lot of time looking at old family photographs that sparked
conversations about the family. "The Sandcastle Girls" is dedicated
to Aram, and Bohjalian's mother-in-law, Sondra Blewer, who both died
in 2011.
This information helped the author write the opposite of a "train
wreck." The book - which could become a feature film - has earned high
praise, including being selected as an Oprah Winfrey Book of the Week.
"I have written so many books that were successful, where people
thought they were crazy ideas. When I started writing a book about
midwives, I was told no one outside of New England would know what
I was talking about," says Bohjalian.
He was glad that he didn't let the critics stop him. "The Sandcastle
Girls" has been an educational tool for many readers. There are
thousands of comments on Bohjalian's Facebook page from people who
had no knowledge of the genocide until reading about it in his book.
"Because so many people outside the Armenian community hadn't heard
about the genocide, I was determined to get it right when I started
this book," says Bohjalian.
He is also determined to talk about the book as often as possible. The
trips give him a chance to thank the members of the Armenian community
who have embraced the book.