A magical debut about an enchanted house that offers refuge to women in their time of need
Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking
through her hometown of Cambridge, England, when she finds herself in
front of a house she’s never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful
older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the
house’s usual conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life
around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in.
She soon discovers that this is no ordinary house. Past residents have
included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who, after receiving the
assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers—literally, in
talking portraits on the wall. As she escapes into this new world, Alba
begins a journey that will heal her wounds—and maybe even save her life.
Filled with a colorful and unforgettable cast of literary figures,
The House at the End of Hope Street
is a charming, whimsical novel of hope and feminine wisdom that is sure
to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde and especially Sarah Addison Allen.
Q&A with Menna Van Praag, author of
The House at the End of Hope Street
In the novel, those who visit
the house on Hope Street are allotted ninety-nine days to heal from a trying
life event. Is there any significance to this number of days, and do you
quantify your own, personal healing by the amount of time that has passed?
Initially
I allowed the characters to stay at Hope Street for a year but then realised
that it was too long. It's so easy to procrastinate and put things off, we all
do it every day, and suddenly years have passed and you still haven't done that
life-transforming thing you wanted to do. I thought of those incredibly
inspiring people who, given a few months to life, suddenly do all the amazing
things they've always dreamed of - literally living every day as if it was
their last until it really is. I chose ninety-nine days as a period short
enough to light a fire under these characters and long enough that they'd have
time to do what was needed. For myself, I've certainly learnt not to endlessly
postpone my dreams, to do what I want today because I might not have tomorrow.
When I was in my twenties I discovered particular practices of learning to live
in the moment, specifically a practice called Instantaneous Transformation
which, as the title suggests, is about healing being able to take place in a
moment rather than over years. It's certainly influenced my writing as well as
my life.
Was there a real Grace Abbott? If not, what inspired
you to write a story about a sanctuary for women who have run out of hope?
I love Grace, I wish she
was real, but as it is she’s born out of love, desire and imagination –
inspired by several real people in my life. The story for The House at the End of Hope
Street was in turn inspired by a dream I have to buy a big house and
give grants to aspiring artists (writers/painters/singers/actors etc.) to live
there for one year and do nothing else but study and promote their craft. When
I graduated from Oxford I waitressed full-time while writing at night, so I
know how hard it is to fulfill an artistic passion while holding down a day
job. Anyway, since I can’t yet afford to make that a reality I created the fantasy
version first.
The
House at the End of Hope Street is a work of magical realism.
What do you think it is about suspending logic and the constraints of reality
that bring us closer to some nugget of truth? Why are you drawn to this genre?
I've
always loved magical realism, ever since I started reading. I suppose I never
lost my childhood sense of wanting to believe in fairies hiding in the bottom
of my garden and the possibility of Narnia at the back of every wardrobe. I
still look for the magic in every day life, it's what make reality
extraordinary. It's sometimes easier to connect with spiritual truths through
magical realism. For me this genre is a metaphor for faith, not necessarily
religious, but faith that there is more to the world that just what we can see,
touch and feel.
Is there any significance to the novel’s Cambridge
setting?
I live in Cambridge and
love it better than any place on I’ve ever been. I knew the protagonist, Alba,
was a brilliant academic so it absolutely made sense she’d be studying at
Cambridge University. Everything else fell into place after that. Funnily
enough, though I’ve lived here for 35 years, I didn’t know there was a Hope
Street until after I finished the book. The title was merely metaphorical so I
was delighted to discover it was actually a physical place. Then something very
spooky-cool happened. I’d picked the number 11 for the house, as it’s a
significant number for me, and (as you already know if you’re reading this, the
house in the book is invisible except to those who need it) then a reader told
me there isn’t a number 11 on the real Hope Street in Cambridge. That gave me
goose bumps!
Are there any elements in the novel that you think an
American audience might miss?
I did have some funny
moments with my editor while we were “translating” the novel from English into
American. She wasn’t sure what a “council estate” was. The closest thing I
could think of was “the projects” but that wouldn’t work for the book at all,
so I had to cut it. Similarly, Albert was compulsively clothed in tatty
jumpers, but that word has a different meaning in American too, so now he wears
cardigans. Our education system is quite different as well, though I tried my
best to explain it without being overly expositional. In terms of describing
Cambridge, I hope my writing has done our beautiful town justice.
On your website, you posted a video explaining how
you’d wanted to be a writer ever since you could remember, but had little
success until you self-published your first book. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? Is being a
writer as fulfilling as you imagined?
I adore writing. No
matter if I’d never been published I would have written for the rest of my
life. I love words. I love sentences so beautiful and true they take my breath
away. Getting paid to write is heaven and I’m very grateful for it. But you
can’t count on that, it can’t be the reason you write. Allow me to quote some
of the women in Hope Street:
Now, if you feel the same way about writing then I believe it’s very likely
you also have some innate talent for it. You may, and probably will, have to
study your craft for many years before being published but, if you write simply
because you must, then I suggest you
shouldn’t give up trying to get published until you succeed.
What is unique about women
being healed by women? Do you find most of your emotional support comes from
the relationships you have with other women?
Women
have a unique understanding of each other although, of course, not that all
women are the same or even very similar. But some of the things we might go
through, like menstruation, childbirth, breastfeeding and the like can't
possibly be understood by men. I think there is something particularly special,
primitive and mystical, about female healing. Perhaps because of the ancient
bond of motherhood and the feminine traditions such as midwifery and nursing.
Someone
pointed out to me recently that my books always contain an older woman who's a
source of wisdom and inspiration. And she's often my favourite character. In
Hope Street this is Peggy, the eighty-two-year-old landlady of the house who
adores cream and has lovers and takes great care of all the women under her
charge. My own primary source of emotional support is my husband. We've been
together for fifteen years and he knows me better than anyone. With a single
look or word he can tell what's going on in my head. But I have several close
female friends with whom I share my heart and I find these relationships
enriching in a unique way.
Which character’s stay at the
house resonates the most with you? Why?
The
main character, Alba, because she is rather similar to me, especially when I
was her age: a timid, bookish type who wants to connect with other people but
fears rejection. I'm much less shy now, but I can still remember those days
quite well!
What surprised you the most
while working on the book?
The
murder scene. I knew it was coming but I didn't know if I'd be able to write
it, at least not as effectively as I hoped. I'd never written anything so dark
before and I put it off until I couldn't put it off any longer. I went for a
walk and, before I reached the end of the street, the first four lines of the
scene dropped into my head. I turned around and ran home. I sat down and wrote
the whole scene in an hour. Writing it was one of the most shocking, exciting
experiences of the entire book. I still have no idea where it came from.
In what ways does your own
home resemble the house at the end of Hope Street?
I
wish my home resembled the house at the end of Hope Street! I live in a rather
small flat, not an infinitely expanding mansion with changeable rooms inhabited
by the spirits of historical women, more's the pity. Although, in essence my
home is - at least for me - as comforting and beautiful as the house. Writing
this character - for the house is certainly a character in the book - was
certainly an act of wish fulfilment. I imagined everything I could possibly
want in a home and created it. Imagine stepping into your hallway and being
greeted by Florence Nightingale and Virginia Woolf. Imagine the books on your
shelves changing according to your whims. Imagine walking into your garden to
an explosion of butterflies. I can only dream of such a house.
