Authors Interviewing Characters: Susan Schoenberger

For those who enjoyed The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer and The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett, The Liabilities of Love is an ambitious and masterful portrayal of the complex journey of how trauma can reverberate throughout a woman’s life, the differing perspectives people have on intimacy and the unintended consequences and risks of falling in love.

Following the death of her beloved mother, Margaret Carlyle heads to a local college in 1979 hoping to find love and acceptance in this new setting. Assaulted on her first date by a charismatic peer Anders, she wants nothing more than to forget it ever happened. But as the years pass, each life decision she makes seems driven by what happened that night until she realizes she must face her past head-on. This deeply moving novel is a window into class and privilege, the mysteries of marriage, and the destructive power of secrets―and an examination of what happens when we try to bury the past, as well as the consequences of confronting it.

• “In matter-of-fact prose studded with pithy observational gems. . . the various players can only get what they deserve by speaking their own truths. A keenly observed, compassionate, and absorbing work.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
• “A poignant tale of love, loss, and secrets, The Liability of Love is a heart-wrenching, compassionate portrayal of survival–of what happens when old wounds are left untended, when quiet pain refuses to stay silent any longer, and when we allow ourselves a second chance. Gorgeously written; Susan Schoenberger has crafted a story that will remain with you long after you turned the last page.” ―Amber Smith, New York Times best-selling author of The Way I Used to Be

—

Susan Schoenberger interviews Margaret Carlyle, a high school student about to head off to college in Hartford CT, and the main character in THE LIABILITY OF LOVE. 

SS: Hi Margaret, nice to meet you. Tell our readers a little about yourself. 

MC: It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m honored to be interviewed. I’m just sorry my mother won’t get to see it. She would have framed it or something.

SS: Why won’t your mother see it?

MC: She died a few months ago. Breast cancer. 

SS: Oh, that’s terrible. I didn’t know. Would you rather do this some other time?

MC: No, it’s fine. I’m learning to live with the loss, but it’s strange, the longer she’s gone, the more I feel her with me. It’s like the presence of an absence, if that makes any sense.

SS: It does, of course. How is the rest of your family holding up?

MC: I’ve got two older sisters, and I thought they would handle it better than I did, but it’s just the opposite. They’re at home with my dad, so they have constant reminders, and he has not taken it well. The whole experience has aged him 10 years, but he’s insisting that I go to school and live in the dorms. 

SS: Where are you going to college?

MC: I’m going to Trinity, which is about 15 minutes from where I live in Hartford. I was hoping to go to Boston College, but it’s a little too far away. My dad needs us all close by to help with his dry cleaning store.

SS: What are you looking forward to about college?

MC: Can this be off the record?

SS: Sure.

MC: I’m embarrassed to say it, but boys. I didn’t mind going to an all-girls school when I was in 9th grade, but I’m ready for a change. My floor is co-ed, so …

SS: The whole floor?

MC: Yes, boys might be right next door. Actual boys.

SS: Love around every corner.

MC: That’s what I thought! You never know. Of course, I don’t really know what it’s like to be in love, but I feel like I’m ready to find out.

SS: So back to the interview. What do you picture yourself doing at Trinity? Are you an athlete? Musician? Activist?

MC: Because my father needs me at his store on the weekends, I won’t have a lot of free time on campus. But I’d like to get involved with the theater department somehow. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I love books and movies. That’s kind of my thing. And math.

SS: So I’ve been told you’re the top math student in your class. Tell us what you like about math. 

MC: I’ve just always connected with numbers. They don’t judge you. They just do what you ask them to do. I always loved playing with the cash register at the store, so my father bought me my own adding machine when I was about nine. I would make up little problems for myself and solve them. It kept me busy for hours.

SS: I’ve been asking this for all my profiles of young women: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

MC: Has anyone said no?

SS: A few.

MC: That’s a surprise. I don’t know how you can be alive in 1979 and not be a feminist. It’s beyond time for the Equal Rights Amendment to pass. Women still get paid a fraction of what a man makes for the same job. It’s infuriating. 

SS: So you’re pretty outspoken about it.

MC: I am. Of course, I’ve never had this conversation with a boy my age. I’m guessing they get nervous when they hear the word feminism.

SS: That they do. What else should our readers know about you? Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

MC: Definitely an introvert. If I’m invited to a party, I’m usually the one standing alone perusing the bookshelves. It’s not that I don’t like people, but being social is draining for me. 

SS: You’re quite pretty, though. I bet you’ll get invited to a lot of parties in college.

MC: (blushing) I never know what to say when people tell me I’m pretty. It feels like taking credit for a paper you didn’t write or a job you didn’t earn on your own. My face is just my face. 

SS: What do you see yourself doing after college?

MC: I’m not sure, but something where I can earn a living. My sisters don’t seem to know what to do with themselves. They both majored in history in college, and neither one of them has a job outside the dry cleaners. They just fell back into it because it was there. 

SS: So they’re older than you?

MC: Yes, quite a bit older. My parents had me ten years after my sister Annabelle, so I have to assume I was a surprise. They had quite a long run as a family of four before I came along.

SS: Does that bother you?

MC: Well, sometimes I feel like a third wheel. My sisters are only two years apart, so they’re close. When I was a toddler, they were already teenagers. So yeah, we don’t have the best relationship, but I hope that changes as we all get older.

SS: Thanks so much for talking to me. 

MC: You’re very welcome. I hope you got what you need.

—

Buy HERE

Susan Schoenberger is the award-winning author of A Watershed Year and The Virtues of Oxygen. With a linotypist as a grandfather, she has ink in her blood and worked as a journalist and copyeditor for many years, including The Baltimore Sun and 12 years with The Hartford Courant.

She currently serves as Director of Communications at Hartford Seminary, a graduate school with a focus on interfaith dialogue. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband Kevin. They have three grown children and a small dog named Leo. Learn more at www.susanschoenberger.com.

—

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing