My Reading Corner interview

WHEN WE WERE US is the story of Erika Forde, a forty-two-year-old woman who is about to find the answers to long standing questions surrounding her marriage. As she delves further, Erika is about to discover quite a few questions she didn’t realise she had about herself.

The novel takes us behind the doors of the publishing world, backstage at a major advertising campaign, and takes a backward glance into a family tragedy, and Erika’s first love. The trajectory of the novel arcs across twenty years, featuring retrospective chapters, and sowing the seeds of a series of revelations which take place as the story unfolds.

We join Erika on the biggest adventure she’s had in years, accessing long-silenced areas of her past, her marriage, and a very significant previous relationship. Her son, Matt, is studying at LIPA, and as he explores his first taste of real freedom, Erika now has greater freedom to re-evaluate her own happiness, along with key choices she made in the past.

Erika is married to David Daniel Forde, a best-selling novelist, who is keen to recapture his former success with the publication of his latest novel. He also appears to be slowly moving into the garage, and is becoming maniacal in his commitment to household recycling. But that’s the least of Erika’s worries. David has devoted his life to his career, but as his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, Erika’s suspicions grow, unleashing a chain of events which bring her past squarely to the forefront of her future.

As Erika begins to re-examine their relationship, she is unaware that tides are turning behind the scenes to wash up at her feet. Her past catches up with her in the form of Enzo Morelli, an old friend of the family, and her former lover. Erika’s personal and professional worlds collide as Enzo helps her to navigate question marks surrounding her marriage. What Erika doesn’t realise, is that Enzo has quite a few questions of his own.

There’s a lot of self-reflection going on beneath the surface with Erika, and as a new era unfolds, she discovers renewed possibilities as she reframes her future. As her curiosity grows, Erika becomes increasingly curious about herself. Erika is also navigating uncharted territory in the form of perimenopause with the help of her friend, Polly, who seems to be the only source providing answers. It was important to me to broach this topic and allow Erika to join what is, thankfully, a growing conversation outside of the novel.

I’m a romantic who appreciates the unconventional and resents the notion of women losing sight of who they are in the glare of a great love. Erika is an important character to me because she represents a demographic who are somewhat overlooked but have so much to share. In other words, ideal stomping ground for a writer.

© Patricia Caliskan for My Reading Corner.