People, places, historical objects, or time periods—which interests you more when you’re choosing a novel?
This month, we’re focusing on a recent trend—time-split novels, in which stories from the past impact the present, sharing a key element: often a place, sometimes an object, person, or theme.
A few examples:
Heidi Chiavaroli, The Tea Chest
Melanie Dobson, Memories of Glass
Laura Morelli, The Night Portrait
Debbie Garneau Griffin, The Eternal Conductor
What sparked my interest?
The two time-split novels I’ve read most recently:
- The Eternal Conductor, which came out this spring. I was fascinated by its focus on the sites and participants in the Underground Railroad, which helped enslaved people escape to freedom, especially in the decades before the Civil War.
- The Night Portrait, which focuses on a Renaissance painting and its fate over the centuries.
Personally, when I read a time-split novel, I prefer a greater focus on the distant past than the more recent period.
Readers, how about you?
Do you enjoy novels set entirely in one era, or do you prefer novels combining at least two time periods?
Keep reading for an interview with Debbie Garneau Griffin, the author of The Eternal Conductor. Also see her website: https://theeternalconductor.com/ (Rating information for readers: This novel contains scenes that include violence, sexuality, and profanity.)
My interview with author Debbie Garneau Griffin:
What drew you to a story set in Vermont in the 1850s?
Debbie Griffin: When I decided to write about the Prescotts’, a fugitive slave family seeking freedom in Canada, I decided to begin the story in October of 1850, where the family arrives during the night at a waystation in Vermont. The reason I began then is because in September, 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act went into effect in the country. It offered a bounty on any blacks who were captured, regardless of whether they were free or not. Plus, anyone not helping law enforcement capture runaways could be fined up to $1,000. Previous to the Act, fugitives could travel ‘above board’ in the North with little fear of slave hunters. Once the Act went into effect, it pit neighbor against neighbor and fugitives had to be hidden on their route to Canada.
Was there a triggering event that prompted you to begin writing?
DG: My single mother and I lived in a two-story farmhouse in Vermont, which was also inhabited by a spirit, who told us he was there to protect us from evil. We would also discover that he had a mean streak! In the mid-1990’s I had to move mom to a nursing home. In the process of cleaning out the property, we discovered a hidden chamber beneath the barn, which contained a number of items. Enlisting the help of the local historical society, we were able to determine it had been used to shelter fugitive slaves on their quest for freedom in Canada.
How did you discover a new angle about the Underground Railroad that hadn’t been written about?
DG: Well, I thought our experience of discovering our property had once been a waystation along the UGRR was interesting, and not completely unique in the Northeast. Many families harbored fugitives and properties are still being discovered that were part of their travels. I thought it an interesting premise to build the story upon.
How much did you have to deviate from history to create a satisfying story?
DG: A number of the characters in Part I, which begins in 1850, are true life Founding Fathers of Fair Haven, Vermont. They were staunch abolitionists as well as prominent business men in town. I kept their attitudes true to their beliefs as I included them in the story. The story of the escaped slave family, the Prescotts’ is based upon a compilation of multiple stories I researched, and is true to form in the history of Vermont.
Did you need to visit archives, or were most sources available online or in books from libraries?
DG: Initially when we discovered the history of our property, I thought it was
‘neat’, but didn’t have time to dwell on it as I had to get back to work in California. It was only after I retired from Silicon Valley, that I got more interested in the UGRR routes. I made numerous trips to Vermont, New York and Canada researching, as much of the history was kept ‘below the vest’. There are two museums where I researched their archives, which was a wonderful trove of information: Rokeby Museum near Burlington, VT https://rokeby.org/
And North Country UGRR Museum in upstate New York.
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/museum.php
I also visited local libraries and private citizens whom had letters and documents of their family’s involvement in the abolitionist movement.
Were there points in your writing when you couldn’t find information you thought was critical to the story? If so, what did you do?
DG: I’ll admit that I took too much for granted as to what had or had not been invented in 1850. One of my critique partners, Peter, is British. At one point, I had Emma, the Conductor’s wife, making a pot of tea using tea bags. Upon reading the passage, Peter immediately informed me that tea bags weren’t invented until 1870! Who knew? After that, I became very careful about how I depicted daily life in the mid-1800’s to ensure that it was as authentic as possible. This is where I relied on the internet heavily.
What were the most challenging aspects of writing your novel?
DG: It took me eight years to research, write and edit the novel. My major challenge was that the book was too big, at over 1100 pages!
What did you enjoy most about writing your novel?
What I learned from my research of the UGRR in the Northeast. In school, we were taught about the Revolutionary War as there are many battle fields in the area. But the history of the slave migration to the north was often kept under wraps because of the ramifications of the Fugitive Slave Act on abolitionists. So researching archives first-hand was very valuable and tying it back to my family farmstead. And getting published, of course!
Thank you, Debbie, for these insights into your new novel!