Talking with Masha Hamilton

In Masha Hamilton's novel 31 Hours, Carol Meitzner awakens one morning in New York City with a feeling that her 21-year-old son, Jonas, is in danger. As the gripping story unfolds, she attempts to find him, not knowing just how vital it is that she do so. In 31 hours, Jonas, newly converted to Islam, has vowed to commit a terrible act of violence.

Today we talk with Masha, who is also a journalist, about 31 Hours, what research she undertook for the novel and what she enjoys most about interacting with book clubs.

Masha is also the author of the novels The Camel Bookmobile, Staircase of a Thousand Steps and The Distance Between Us. To read her previous guest blog post on RGG.com about The Camel Bookmobile and its real-life inspiration, click here.



ReadingGroupGuides.com: What do you enjoy most about interacting with book clubs?

Masha Hamilton: I, of course, enjoy their questions, which can be surprising and illuminating. I love to hear what they liked as well as what they didn't. On occasion, a book club has made me see something about the book I didn't see even over the long years of writing it! I also really enjoy hearing about the clubs themselves; I often ask how long they've been meeting and what kinds of books they typically read.


RGG: Why did you choose to unfold 31 Hours from multiple viewpoints --- Jonas, Carol and other people with whom their lives intersect?

MH: One of the themes of the book is connections --- the critical moments that we miss as well as the ways in which our lives intersect. It seemed the best way to explore that theme was to allow each of the characters, from the subway panhandler to the Upper West Side art dealer, to have a voice.


RGG: What research did you do for the novel?

MH: A lot of this was inside me, burning to come out. So much of it was a matter of opening the tap and trying to listen hard to my own fears --- about violence, about parenting, about missed opportunities. But in terms of research, I did do some writing on the subway itself. I went on with a notebook and wrote a line or two that sometimes ended up in a scene. I also spent time researching the kind of secret training that goes on in the northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan.


RGG: 31 Hours is about an important, timely subject. Aside from enjoying an entertaining read, what would you like readers to take away from the book?

MH: Some of the issues I thought about while writing included what it means to be the mother of a young adult in today's chaotic, often-violent and confusing world. I also thought a lot about the role of faith and tradition --- or lack of it --- in our modern lives. And the idea of prayer in the very broadest sense of the word. Additionally, of course, I worked hard to wrap my brain around the idea of truly understanding what might motivate an act of unimaginable violence.


RGG: What elements of 31 Hours are you especially looking forward to discussing with reading group members?

MH: Really, all of the above, and anything else a book club might think of --- I've found book clubs are very wise and creative in the topics they themselves hone in on.