Barbara’s Comments (group member since Oct 11, 2007)

Barbara’s comments from the Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A group.

Here we are at the last official day of this group. My thanks to all of you for visiting with me over the past two weeks. I hope you've enjoyed "Family Tree." My next book, "The Secret Between Us," will be out on January 22, 2008. You can read all about it on my website at http://www.barbaradelinsky.com. You can also send me notes through the site. Please identify yourself as a Goodreads friend, so that I can send you a special thanks.


Have a great Thanksgiving!

Well spoken, Gretchen. You're an amazing mom!

I talked with a reading group last week that asked whether Dorothy wouldn't feel something different about her husband, after learning of Lizzie's true heritage. What do you think?

Thanks to both of you for understanding Hugh. Some readers are just furious with him. But he is who he is because he is who he is!

How about Eaton? Do you think he's a bigot? Do you think there was reason why he wrote the kinds of books he did?

I agree with both of you about testing for a disease. My mother died of breast cancer. My sisters and I were watched closely and have all now actually had it, too, but are well and cured (yes, I use that word). In theory, I could have genetic testing done to see if I have the gene, but since I only have sons (who are aware of the small risk to them), I haven't done it. I do have granddaughters now, so may want to know. But not yet. What to do with that knowledge but worry, when a child is only three?

Great, Hannah! That's always my goal -- making characters so real that readers can't let go. I'm always glad to know when it works.

DNA science is advancing every day. We can now do tests that will tell us what percentage we are of four races -- African, Asian, European, and Native American. Paternity tests, like the one done in FAMILY TREE, are easy, non-invasive, and cheap.

Do you think they help? Did Hugh help or hurt his marriage by demanding a DNA test?

Do you think genetic tests that determine predisposition to disease are helpful or hurtful? Would you want to know your chances of getting, say, Alzheimers disease, given that there is no cure?

I agree, Tammy. And Libby, definitely weigh in.

(Yes or No is for those who don't have the time or inclination to say more.)

Okay, I couldn't possibly answer this question myself with just a yes or no, but for the sake of getting some others of you into the discussion, let's give it a shot. Yes or no. I want to see if there's a concensus.

Will Eaton write a book about his discovery?

If I were to write a sequel to Family Tree, which character would you pick to be the main focus?

Thanks, Libby. Your comment is a total compliment. And thanks for handling it so delicately. It's always hard with this book to avoid giving away the ending ...

Dorothy surprised me. I created her to be a docile wife who was slightly ditsy. When she ever announced that she had a credit card that her husband didn't know about -- something a woman like her wouldn't automatically do -- I was thrilled.

As the story progressed, Dorothy felt that Eaton was making her choose between her husband and her son. If you were forced into that choice, what would you do?

Many readers have written me saying that "Family Tree" made them reexamine their own deepest feelings -- that, like Hugh, they've always thought of themselves as being progressive, but, after reading this book, wonder how they would feel if they suddenly gave birth to a baby that looked very different from them. Did the book make you think about this?

BTW, one of those readers was an African-American woman from Nashville who said that I told her story in reverse -- that when she was born with lighter skin than her siblings, her family was full of questions and doubts.

The readers who've written to me have covered, literally, every minority, nationality, race, creed. So please consider my question in the broadest sense. Did "Family Tree" make you think about hidden biases?

I have my own suspicions, but let's wait so see if anyone else gives it a shot before I tell mine!
Stay tuned.

I'm touched that my book has inspired you, Tara. With recent advances in DNA science, we're all able to learn so much more than we ever could before. Good luck with your search!

People often ask me whether I plot out an entire book before I begin to write. The answer is no. I do have a general plan, but once the characters are established, they often do things that surprise me. This happened with several of the characters in FAMILY TREE.

So tell me. Did any of the characters in this book surprise you?

Good question, Melissa. In the process of doing research, I worked with geneticists to determine exactly what you ask -- how far back to set the African American connection. I wanted Lizzie's features to be possible -- not necessarily probably, only possible. I actually had been planning to have the original racial mix go back a little farther, but the geneticists told me not to. I listened.

I am! Dana's knitting background in FAMILY TREE is very similar to mine. My mother died when I was young, but she was a knitter. I taught myself to knit after she died and have been an avid knitter since. To this day, when I knit, I feel a connection to her.

As for my 'knitting family' in the broader sense, yes, I have one. I meet with a group every Thursday night. We each bring our own projects and often inspire each other knitting-wise, but we also talk about other things, like local restaurants or new movies or even -- yikes -- politics! The two hours each week that I spend with these women are moments out of time for me. Although the knitting store and the knitters in FAMILY TREE are different physically from my own, the emotional connection is the same.

My thanks for your kind words. I so appreciate it. And do persevere at your bookstore, Jo! Ask them to restock -- with my thanks for that, too!