The Wally Lamb Fiction Collection: The Hour I First Believed, I Know This Much is True, We Are Water, and Wishin' and Hopin' (77 page)

“[Lamb] knows just how to let the details of a tragedy unfold without decoration or commentary. He’s a master at the kind of direct, unadorned narrative that brings these events alive in all their visceral power…. This portrayal of a couple dealing with the asymmetrical effects of trauma is Lamb at his best, wholly sympathetic, deeply moving.”

—Washington Post Book World

“Lamb’s narrative … quickly pulls the reader into the lives of its characters…. Lamb casts a wide net and hauls back themes both grand and personal…. Lamb is exceptional in his exploration of the direct and indirect impacts of survivor guilt.”

—
Denver Post

“A moving … story that seesaws between hope and despair.”

—Boston Globe

“Lamb … has delivered a tour de force, his best yet. Grade: A.”

—Entertainment Weekly

“Profound and moving…. The beauty of
The Hour I First Believed,
a soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the classic hymn that provides the title, is that Lamb never loses sight of the spark of human resilience…. Lamb’s wonderful novel offers us the promise and power of hope.

—Miami Herald

“Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past ten years…. This is an epic journey that ponders the inexplicable nature of tragedy and its terrible repercussions. Through the chaos, Lamb reveals a quiet thread of hope. Grade: A.”

—Rocky Mountain News

“Part picaresque, part Russian novel, part mystery…. Caelum is an unusual, provocative character, neither a hero nor an antihero but a regular guy experiencing both the tragic and the absurd. His tone is by turns funny, irritating, depressive, and sentimental—which is to say, recognizably human.”

—New York Times Book Review

“Lamb has crafted another affecting, engrossing tome about complicated, interesting characters.”

—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent…. In his latest novel, he nimbly weaves real events, especially the Columbine school shootings, with the fictional story of Caelum Quirk.”

—Columbus Dispatch

“A page-turner…. Lamb remains a storyteller at the top of his game.”

—USA Today

Anton, Mike, and Ryckman, Lisa. “Mundane Gave Way to Madness” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 25, 1999.

Associated Press. “Forgiveness Not Needed Say Klebold’s Parents,” May 16, 2004.

“April 20, 1999,” Jefferson County, Colorado Sheriff’s Report, 1999.

Bacon, Margaret Hope.
Abby Hopper Gibbons: Prison Reformer and Social Activist.
Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000.

Bai, Matt; Glick, Daniel; Keene-Osborn, Sherry; Gegax, T. Trent; Clemetson, Lynette; Gordon, Devin; and Klaidman, Daniel. “Anatomy of a Massacre” in
Newsweek
Magazine, May 3, 1999.

Bartels, Lynn, and Bunn, Dina. “Dad Cuts Down Killers’ Crosses” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
May 1, 1999.

Bartels, Lynn, and Crowder, Carla. “Fatal Friendship” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
August 22, 1999.

“Boston’s Worst,”
Time
Magazine, December 7, 1942 (slightly altered).

Bowser, Betty Ann. “Remembering Columbine,”
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Transcript, April 20, 2000.

Brooke, James. “70,000 Mourn in Quiet Tears, Song and Rain” in
New York Times,
April 26, 1999.

Brooks, David, “The Columbine Killers” in
New York Times,
April 24, 2004.

Brown, Brooks, and Merritt, Rob.
No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine.
New York: Lantern Books, 2002.

Brown, Fred, and Lowe, Peggy. “Tears from Heaven: Crowd, Tears Overflow at Service,” in
The Denver Post,
April 26, 1999.

Campbell, Joseph.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Princeton: Princeton University Press/Bollingen, 1972.

Carlston, Liz.
Surviving Columbine: How Faith Helps Us Find Peace When Tragedy Strikes.
Salt Lake City: Desert Book, 2004.

Cloud, John; Gwynne, S. C.; Harrington, Maureen; Shapiro, Jeffrey; Rivera, Elaine; and Woodbury, Richard. “Portrait of a Deadly Bond” in
Time
Magazine, May 19, 1999.

Cullen, Dave. “The Depressive and the Psychopath,” posted in
Slate
(slate.msn.com), April 20, 2004.

Crowder, Carla. “‘Your Courage and Commitment to Christ Have Gained You a Special Place in Heaven’” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 27, 1999.

Fitzpatrick. Michael F. “The Mercy Brigade” in
Civil War Times Illustrated,
October 1997, pp. 34–40.

Foster, Dick. “Mourners Recall Respectful Teen” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 24, 1999.

Gibbs, Nancy, and Roche, Timothy. “The Tapes: In Five Secret Videos They Recorded Before the Massacre, the Killers Reveal Their Hatreds and Their Lust for Fame” in
Time
Magazine, December 20, 1999.

Goldsmith, Barbara.
Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull.
New York: Knopf, 1998.

Gonzales, Manny, and Weber, Brian. “Students, Teachers Go Back to Class” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
May 3, 1999.

Gutierrez, Hector. “Smiling, Gentle Giant Buried with Military Honors at Fort Logan” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 28, 1999.

Harris, Jean.
They Always Call Us Ladies: Stories from Prison.
New York: Scribner’s, 1988.

Harris, Mary B.
I Knew Them in Prison.
New York: Viking, 1936.

Hudson, Alice, and Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara.
Heading West and Touring West: Mapmakers, Performing Artists, and the American Frontier.
New York: New York Public Library, 2001.

Jones, Rebecca. “Young Athlete’s Love for Soccer Always Brought a Smile to His Face” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 29, 1999.

Kelly, Guy. “He’d Rather Be Outside Than Anywhere Else, and His Favorite Place Was the Fishing Hole” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 28, 1999.

In Memory of Lauren Townsend” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News
, April 27, 1999.

Lauck, Joanne Elizabeth.
The Voice of the Infinite in the Small: Revisioning the Insect-Human Connection.
Mill Spring, NC: Swan. Raven & Co, 1998.

Luzadder, Dan, and Vaughan, Kevin. “Amassing the Facts: Bonded by Tragedy, Officers Probe Far, Wide for Answers” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
December 13, 1999.

Luzadder, “Biggest Question of All” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
December 14, 1999.

Luzadder, “Inside the Columbine Investigation” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
December 12, 1999.

Magers, Boyd. “Cocoanut Grove Controversy” in
Western Clippings,
#8, November/December 1995.

Mawhiney, Shawn. “Mummified Remains of Baby Found in Vacant City House” in
Norwich Bulletin,
Febuary 26, 2002.

McCombs, Brady; Oulton, Stacy; and Seibert, Trent. “Extensive Report Full of Surprises” in
The Denver Post,
November 22, 2000.

McCrimmon, Katie Kerwin. “‘Pomp and Circumstance’ and Tears” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
May 23, 1999.

Meadow, James B. “Teens ‘Radiant, Forever Young’” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 26, 1999.

Melone, Katie. “Exhumation, DNA Could Identify Mummified Baby” in
Norwich Bulletin,
March 1, 2002.

Meskauskas, Mary C. “Nurse Pember and the Whiskey War” in
Civil War Times Illustrated,
August 1999, pp. 56–59.

Messent, Peter, and Courtney, Steve (eds.).
The Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell: A Chaplain’s Story.
Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2006.

Ochberg, Frank M. “Bound by a Trauma Called Columbine” www.giftfrom within.org/html/columbin.html.

Petree, Judy. “Chaos Theory”www.fu/edu/~petrejh4/chaos.htm.

Powell, Barry B.
Classical Myth.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.

Raab, Scott. “Men Explode: A Special Report on Men and Rage” in
Esquire,
September 2000, pp.244–258.

Reuters. “Tape Shows Columbine Gunmen Mulling Murder” October 23, 2003.

Rierden, Andi.
The Farm: Life Inside a Women’s Prison.
Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1997.

Ryckman, Lisa. “17 Year Old Girl ‘Shined for God at All Times’” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 25, 1999.

Salsbury, Edith Colgate (ed).
Susy and Mark Twain: Family Dialogues.
Mattituck, NY: Amereon House, 1965.

Scanlon, Bill. “‘Dave Bled the Ultimate Blue and Silver; He Will Never Ever Be Taken from Us’” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 27, 1999.

Seibert, Trent. “Klebold Essay Foretold Columbine, Chillingly” in
Denver Post,
November 22, 2000.

Sheppard, Erika. “What Was Mine” in
Double Talk
Magazine, Spring 2003.

Sullivan, Bartholomew. “Family, Teammates Bid Final Farewell to Columbine High School’s No. 70” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 28, 1999.

Sullivan, “In Memory of Daniel Rohrbough” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 27, 1999.

Sullivan, “70,000 Join Together in Sorrow” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 26, 1999.

Van Der Post, Laurens.
A Mantis Carol.
Washington, DC : Island Press, 1975.

Waldman, Hillary. “A Punishing Dispute: Anonymous Treatment vs. Public Prosecution” in
Hartford Courant,
May 4, 2003.

Washington, April M. “Talented Athlete Known for Generosity ‘Would Give You the Shirt Off His Back’” in
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
April 30, 1999.

Wendel, Vicki. “Washer Women” in
Civil War Times Illustrated,
August 1999, pp. 30–36.

Zeller, Bob. “Smoketown Hospital” in
Civil War Times Illustrated,
May 1996, pp. 36–43.

READERS MAY WISH TO CONSIDER
making charitable donations to the following not-for-profit organizations:

“The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has established an online Veterans Resource Center to help support active duty military personnel, veterans and their families facing serious mental illnesses such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia.”

“Inspired by the courage and hope of the[Lower 9th Ward] residents he met, Brad Pitt resolved to do whatever he could to help them rebuild. Just as importantly, he wanted to help recreate and nurture the unique culture and spirit of the 9th Ward, which symbolized the soul of New Orleans … The Make It Right mission is clear: to be a catalyst for redevelopment in the Lower 9th Ward by building a neighborhood of safe, healthy homes inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking and high quality design that celebrates the spirit of the community.”

“SAVE is a student-driven organization. Students learn about alternatives to violence and practice what they learn through school and community service projects. As they participate in SAVE activities, students learn crime prevention and conflict management skills and the virtues of good citizenship, civility, and non-violence.”

About the author

• 2 A Conversation with Wally Lamb
  

About the book

• 6 Wally Lamb: On Writing
  The Hour I First Believed
  

Read on

• 12 Author’s Playlist: Songs That Inspired
  The Hour I First Believed
  

Q:
The Hour I First Believed
was published more than ten years after your previous novel,
I Know This Much Is True.
Many of your fans are probably wondering: Why did you make them wait so long?

A:
I hope this doesn’t sound odd or ungrateful, but I sort of had to get over “bestsellerdom.” Readers had responded so generously to my first two novels that I had to conquer my fear of writing the first sentence of my third, lest I disappoint everyone. Also, life intervened to pull me away from the creative flow: my need to teach, the needs of my kids, and, increasingly, the complicated needs of my ailing elderly
parents, both of whom died before the completion of this novel. Others of the “sandwich generation” know what that’s like: the difficulty of having to sprint from your kid’s track meet to your parent’s doctor’s appointment or hospital bed. Many times during the nine-year span between starting and finishing this novel, my characters had to be put on hold. And they were not always patient.

Q:
What draws you, in your first two novels and now in
The Hour I First Believed,
to the subject of family?

A:
My mother was one of eleven children in a close-knit Italian family that convened at Nonna’s every Saturday evening to eat supper, play cards, share the week’s news, gossip, and reminisce. As a kid, I used to love to crawl undetected beneath the grown-ups’ table and, sitting in a forest of legs—chair legs, table legs, aunts’ legs, uncles’—listen to the family stories. This may be why, as an adult, I became a storyteller myself. Although I cringe when “family values” are exploited for political gain, I nevertheless understand the value of family—both the people who share our DNA and the people we draw close to us. I believe that love, not necessarily genetics, makes a family.

Q:
You’ve edited two essay collections stemming from your volunteer work teaching female inmates at the York Correctional Institution, and key parts of
The Hour I First Believed
are set at a women’s prison. How has this hands-on involvement with incarceration and rehabilitation changed you personally, and how has it informed your fiction?

A:
I started this novel during the same summer that I began running the writing
workshop at York Prison, and I see in retrospect that this has had a profound impact on my fiction, my teaching, and me. As I was sharing with my students what I know about how to write effectively, they were educating me, via their autobiographical writings, about the connection between incest victimhood and drug addiction, between childhood trauma and unpremeditated adult violence. Little by little, I began to connect the dots between my research for the novel and my teaching, between the real world and the fictional maze that I had entered. My experiences at York have changed me personally as well. Once you hear the stories of the incarcerated and see what prison life is like, you can’t then unhear or unsee. Nor can you remain silent. At least I can’t. So I guess you could call me the accidental activist.

Q:
The search for faith plays a large role in the story. Is this an issue you have dealt with yourself?

A:
Oh, yes. I’m a practicing Catholic but a questioning one, more aligned with my church’s social justice initiatives than its dogma.
The Hour I First Believed
is divided into two parts, Butterfly and Mantis. The Butterfly chapters explore the possibility that, ultimately, it’s randomness that rules human existence. The Mantis chapters explore the possibility of a benign ordering presence. The maze motif which threads itself throughout the narrative also explores the chaos-versus-order conundrum. When we are lost in a maze, it can seem confounding and nonsensical. When and if we rise above it, we can see that said maze has a logical organizing principle after all.

Q:
You dedicate the book very movingly to your mother. How did she inspire you in general, and, specifically, how did she influence
The Hour I First Believed?

A:
Well, you know, we Italian boys love our mamas. My late mother was far less feisty than the character of Mrs. Buzzi, but like Mrs. B, she was all about food, faith, and
famiglia,
and she had a bit of the rascal in her, too. So in that sense, Alphonse’s mother is a tribute to my own. When I was a kid, my creative outlet was cartooning, and my mom was encouraging of that, as was my dad. Ma worked part-time at a printing company and would bring home stacks of scrap paper that I’d turn into comic booklike stories with recurring characters, conflict, and dialogue bubbles. After I’d colored in my illustrations (I had the deluxe tiered box of Crayolas with its own built-in sharpener), Ma would stack the pages
carefully, sit at her sewing machine, and stitch up the left side. Voilà, a book! HarperCollins is my present publisher, but my mother was my first.

Q:
Why do you think your writing touches so many people so deeply?

A:
I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because my readers recognize themselves and the people they love in the character-driven fiction I create—stories about imperfect people struggling to become better people. Or maybe it’s because my protagonists speak in first person, taking readers into their confidence in raw and honest ways so that a kind of intimacy develops. I’ve been told many times by readers that, after they’ve finished a novel of mine, they catch themselves wondering about how the characters are doing now, as if these people lived and breathed in the actual world. There’s no better validation than that. The letters I receive from readers are gifts, even the ones from little old ladies who write to scold me for letting my characters use four-letter words. I keep all these letters and try to answer each one, typically in postcard form but with longer responses to those whose words move me the most. I store my reader mail in big plastic bins, but I have a manila folder in which I keep the special ones. Writing is lonely work, and if my books can be bridges between me and others, well, how cool is that?

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