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Ways of Leaving

Chase Stollar is angry.

His world is falling apart. He's been fired from his job, his wife left him, and his father is dying, and now, his brother wants him to come home to the Poconos and shoulder some of the burden.And that's just the half of it."Ways of Leaving" is a new novel by Lehigh Valley born and Stroudsburg-area raised Grant Jarrett. The book was named winner of the International Book Awards for Best New Fiction earlier this year.We spoke with Jarrett via email, and this is what he had to say.QIn a nutshell, how would you describe your book?AAs impossible as it is to describe a novel in a paragraph, I've been asked this question enough times that I ought to have a good response. Unfortunately, I don't. In describing "Ways of Leaving" I feel as though I should mention the humor, but I also want to make it clear that it is a very serious book, but one that's entertaining, about a guy whose father is dying, whose brother is a narcissistic wreck, and whose sister is in a mental institution.I want to say that it's heartbreaking between guffaws. But however accurate that description may be, it just doesn't seem to hold together, and I doubt it would bring me any new readers.To me, "Ways of Leaving" is about a troubled man who responds to his sense of isolation with anger and despair, using alcohol and sex to ease his pain. It's about the very human need for a sense of purpose and the sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic ways in which people address that need. Did I mention that it's funny? See what I mean?QYou base your book in the Stroudsburg area. How did you decide this would be the right setting?AWhen I began this book all I had was a character with a compelling reason (and an equally powerful disinclination) to go back to his hometown. But I'm not sure I consciously chose the setting. It just felt natural to take him to a familiar place, a place I could visualize and where I had my own memories.Once I got him there, things just happened, and as a bonus I was spared the difficulty of inventing an entire fictional town.QChase Stoller (the main character) is angry. Are you? He comes across as so angry and flawed, I imagine he is based on you or someone very close to you.AAlthough I don't think my rage was ever as extreme and unrelenting as Chase's, there has always been a ball of anger smoldering inside me, and there was a time when it would erupt with little warning. But becoming a father, being an example, and having responsibility for the safety and happiness of another human being, has served as a compelling motivation to avoid behaviors that might induce harsh sentences or gunplay.The truth is that a few scenes in the book are taken from my life, and Chase and I certainly share some characteristics, but I wouldn't say he's based on me, mostly because I'd prefer to stay out of court.QWhere did the idea for "Ways of Leaving" come from?Af I knew how and where ideas are born, I would go there and kidnap a few, but it's a mystery to me, and a constant source of fascination and frustration. Many years ago I had the very general idea of writing a story where someone falls completely apart and then gradually reassembles himself. That idea may have been knocking around in my subconscious when I wrote "Ways."Most of the time I start with a character, try to make him or her real, put him or her in a situation that requires action, and sit staring at my screen waiting for something interesting to occur.Sometimes I can trace a character or a situation to something or someone from my own life, but if I've made my characters real enough, if I've been "honest," the story itself usually progresses organically. If not, I simply give up and whine.QYou were selected the winner in the "Best New Fiction" category for the 2014 International Book Awards. Do you have a comment about winning?AWhen I received the email informing me that my book had won I thought it was a joke, not because I didn't believe it, but because I just wasn't sure "Ways of Leaving" had the mainstream appeal necessary to win an award.Of course I am overjoyed that my book won, in great part because it suggests that readers are seeing and appreciating in my work what I intended, and in part it gives me a tiny bit of credibility in the eyes of those who question the road I've taken. My initial comment, I believe, was "Holy !@*&!" And that still seems entirely apt.QAre you working on another book?AI am always working, or trying to work, though the process is usually painful and deeply unsatisfying, sort of like consuming your own flesh without any decrease in your hunger. It takes so long just to know if something has enough potential to justify the time and energy it will require. Occasionally it does, though not nearly often enough, and either way, it requires hard work, introspection and blind faith. I have three beginnings now, all of which may fail. If they don't bear fruit, I'll start a fourth. If that doesn't work, I'll drink a fifth.At some point you have to trust yourself and the process, with the understanding that there will always be doubt and the knowledge that if you don't fail you aren't trying very hard.QIs there anything I didn't ask that you would like to add, or anything special you'd like to say?AThere are many ways of gauging one's success, and although I'd like to excel in all of them, what's most important to me is that my work affects readers as some of my favorite books have affected me. If my work produces heartfelt laughter or tears, if it ignites deep thought or honest emotion, if it touches rather than manipulates those who read it, I feel I've been successful. But great sales would be a nice bonus and I'd show up in dress pants to accept a Pulitzer."Ways of Leaving" is Jarrett's second book. He is the author of "More Towels," a coming-of-age memoir about life on the road. He lives in Manhattan, where he works as a writer, musician and songwriter. He has written for magazines, such as FOW and Triathalon, and is an avid cycler."Ways of Leaving" (SparkPress) is available in paperback from Amazon.com.

Author Grant Jarrett