Emma Straub, the acclaimed novelist behind works such as "Modern Lovers" and "The Vacationers," has crafted her newest book from an unexpected source: a fan cruise dedicated to the iconic boy band New Kids on the Block. This unique experience served as a creative outlet and a means to navigate personal sorrow following the loss of her father.
From Grief to Literary Inspiration
Straub penned her 2022 novel "This Time Tomorrow" as a heartfelt tribute to the father-daughter relationship, coinciding with her own father Peter Straub's declining health. The story revolves around a woman who travels back to her sixteenth birthday to reconnect with her father in his youth. Shortly after its completion, Peter Straub passed away, plunging the author into a period of profound grief.
During this difficult time, an advertisement for a New Kids on the Block fan cruise captured her attention. Straub joined thousands of devoted fans on a four-day voyage where the band performed intimate concerts and hosted special events for supporters. Immersed in this vibrant environment, she immediately recognized its potential as the perfect backdrop for her next literary project.
The Birth of 'American Fantasy'
"For the first time, I had the whole idea," Straub explained, referencing her novels including "All Adults Here." "I knew it was a book. I could write it and I would have the time of my life doing it." The result is "American Fantasy," released recently, which follows protagonist Annie, a fifty-year-old empty-nester navigating a recent divorce. Annie embarks on a fan cruise for a 1990s boy band and unexpectedly forms a bond with one of its members.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Straub elaborated on her creative process and the themes explored in the novel. Her responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Why a Fan Cruise as a Setting?
"My everyday life is quite small," Straub noted. "I walk the same loop, from my bookstore to my kid's school and home. When I leave that, I'm reminded there's a great big world out there. The cruise in particular struck me as novelistic from the get-go. You have a certain number of people trapped together in a small space for a certain number of days. That's a novel right there."
Observations and Immersion
Initially attending as an observer, Straub quickly found herself fully engaged in the cruise experience. "I went in feeling like an observer. A fan, but really an observer, because it all felt so foreign. Pretty quickly, I realized I wasn't any better than anyone else there. I eavesdropped on everything and knew 100% of the New Kids references they were talking about."
She was particularly struck by the dedication of the attendees, predominantly middle-aged women. "What impressed me was how much these women had spent so much time and energy planning their experience. They wore costumes, decorated the doors of their cabins and made gifts for each other. These were middle-aged women who had given themselves the gift of doing something purely for their own pleasure. I had never seen anything quite like it."
Exploring Middle-Aged Crossroads
Straub deliberately placed her protagonist Annie at a pivotal life stage. "I have so many women friends who have made enormous changes between 40 and 55. They have changed careers, gone back to school, moved across the country, gotten divorced and gotten remarried. I grew up thinking of middle age as a downward slope. That's just not true. We are all still making choices and doing things for the first time. I wanted to spend time with a character who was in that struggle of realizing that and ultimately able to embrace it."
Research and Insights
To enrich her narrative, Straub conducted research by connecting with Joe McIntyre, a member of New Kids on the Block. "He is smart and funny, and introspective. I wanted to know what it's like to be a middle-aged man who has had this life, and a relationship with these other men who you’ve known for 40 years, whether you love them or hate them, you’re like truly stuck in this work environment. You are yoked to these other men for your entire life. What does that feel like? How does it feel to have these kinds of fans? How it feels to grow up in the public eye? And I was able to ask him all these questions. He was so generous with me."
Lessons from Bookselling
As co-owner of the Brooklyn bookstore Books Are Magic with her husband, Straub has gained unique insights into the publishing industry. "In an alternate world, I would be able to say, the things that are selling the most right now are murdery thrillers with this kind of protagonist or, you know, romantasy with dragons or whatever, so I'm going to do that. But, that’s not how writing works, you know? If I’ve learned anything, it is that the best book you can write is always the one that is most personal and most authentic to you. And so, alas, I’ve yet to have a dragon in one of my books."
Through "American Fantasy," Emma Straub not only channels her personal journey through grief but also celebrates the transformative power of community and self-discovery, proving that inspiration can arise from the most unexpected places.
