Interview about The Story Keeper

Writing a dual-timeline novel can be challenging; it’s hard to match the traumas of the past to the often less intense conflicts of the present. Writing a Gothic novel set in modern-day western Australia is an even bigger challenge. But it’s to Kelly Rimmer’s credit that she pulls off both these feats in her latest novel, The Story Keeper, released just this past Tuesday. Read on to find out more from my written interview with the author. And if you missed my previous interview with Kelly Rimmer about her novel, The German Wife, you can find that on my old blog.

This story, we find out in the author's note, is set in the town where you grew up. What is it about Forbes that made you want to set a book there?

Forbes is such a unique place. It’s a small town, just 7,000 people, about 5 hours drive west of Sydney. The main street is lined with heritage-listed buildings, so it is sometimes used as an open-air film set. Maybe because heritage is such a prominent part of the feel of the town, or maybe it’s my own fond memories of the place, but I knew this book would be set in Forbes right from the very start.

Wurimbirra is an important part of the novel. What should readers know about this estate?

I wanted Wurimbirra to represent that sense of history that old homes bring—it should feel vast and imposing, atmospheric and historic. It is a fictional house—but it’s inspired by real properties in the region, and I drew inspiration from real features in other homes. For example, the staircase, a steep, double-width feature that sits right in the lobby, was taken directly from another historic home near Forbes—a magnificent old mansion called Carrawobitty.

Introduce us, please, to your main character, Fiona Winslow. What brings her to Wurimbirra?

Fiona is at a crossroads. Her husband and business partner have revealed an affair, and that means she’s suddenly lost both her marriage and the business she spent twenty years building. At fifty years old, she thought she had it all figured out—but here she is, at an unexpectedly blank second chapter to her life. It makes sense to me that she would run home to Wurimbirra, the house she grew up in. It’s one of her favorite places in the world, and as a celebrated heritage architect she plans to restore the property to its full glory.

Her uncle Tad, although deceased by the time the novel opens, is nonetheless an important character. Tell us about him, as a person and as an author—as we encounter him in Fiona’s memories.

Tad is inspired by the many writer friends I’ve made over the past ten years. We’re all so different, but we do tend to have similar traits, and Tad is what you might get if you took all of those generic writer characteristics and dialed them up to 11! He’s sharp and insightful—but not when it comes to his own interpersonal relationships, which frankly baffle him. He’s messy and chaotic, except when he’s putting pen to paper—that’s when he truly comes alive.

What’s the role of Fiona’s cousin Jon in this book?

Jon and Fiona are closer than your average cousins, having grown up in an especially tight-knit family. He is, in many ways, Fiona’s best friend in the world.

Fiona’s relationship with her mother is difficult. What can you say about that, and about Virginia Winslow more generally (without giving away spoilers, of course)?

People can be very complicated, and Virginia Winslow is no exception. She loves deeply, but finds it very difficult to connect, even with her own daughter. And from Fiona’s point of view, she loves her mother, but she doesn’t understand her at all. As the story opens, we find both characters simultaneously reaching out and pushing one another away.

Last but not least, please say a word or two about the novel Fiona discovers right after moving in.

Fiona is from a family of bookworms, and as expected, she finds Wurimbirra bursting at the seams with books, including a whole box of copies of The Midnight Estate. Her uncle loved to buy bulk stacks of enthralling books to distribute to his friends and family, so she hopes that this box is something he’d enjoyed that he had intended to share with her. As she starts reading she discovers this book is actually so much more …

Are you already working on something new?

I’m always working on something new!! I can’t say much at this point, but my new story combines some fascinating history with just a hint of magic. I’m working feverishly at the moment and hope to have news soon!!

Kelly Rimmer is the author of more than a dozen novels, most recently The Story Keeper. Find out more about her and her books at https://www.kellyrimmer.com.