Questions for Katherine Govier

1. What was it like meeting the ama women in Japan? What did you learn from them that helped with the creation of the novel?

2. With the historical integration of WWII in the plot, why did you choose to leave out the naval warfare of the Pacific between the allied nations and Japan?

3. If you had to change anything in the novel, what would it be? And why?

Three Questions

1. Is there any aspects of the novel you now wish you had done differently? What would these changes be and why?

2. If the characters presented in this novel are in fact completely fictional then how does one create such varied and detailed characters / character interactions?

3. The octopus is often seen throughout the last half of this novel. What symbolism does this creature hold in terms of the novel?

---Aaron Abel

Questions for Govier

1) Why did you choose to write about pearl diving? Also, have you experienced it yourself or know someone who has? Your description of a dive is beautifully written, and makes the reader feel like they are actually experiencing it, so I thought you might have experience with it.

2) Were the three views of the novel your beginning outline, or did they develop as you wrote the novel?

3) Why did you choose Japan as the country Vera goes to? I understand you have been there, and wonder if the culture inspired you to relate it to Canada in the novel, and if so, why?

1. What was your initial starting point for the conception of the novel? The pearl? The sword? The prints? WWII? A coming of age story? After that first idea came about, how did the novel develop?

2. I understand that a great deal of research went into the preparation of the novel. Can you tell us how the research process partnered up with the writing process? How did these two processes work together? Did a story evolve out of the research or did you have the narrative stories in mind already and the research came to support those stories?

3. How much of your own self did you put into the story? Did you insert yourself anywhere at all? Where could we as readers look to find hints of you as a person and your own life?

Questions

1) I find it interesting that you intertwine characters from other novels inside of some of your works. What does this show? Or rather, why did you do it?

2) Pearl diving is a very random occupation to choose. I am wondering why you would choose such a topic of interest. I am interested to know why you have an interest with the idea of water and finding yourself. Is this water world supposed to be a sign of rebirth?

3) Finally, I understand you spent some time in Japan. What caused you to write a novel in which a Canadian person goes to another country rather than an Oriental person coming to Canada?

Josh Wilk Govier questions

Why does Vera wish to be a part of the community in Japan when she's a loner in Canada?

Are the Ama women the female equivalent of the samurai?

Explain the last line of the book in relation and comparison to the historical events that took place within the novel (Pearl Harbor and Fat man and Little boy). Is it irony or something else?

Govier Questions

1. Are any of the novel's characters based off of real people you knew, either friends or just acquaintances?
2. How long did take you to complete the novel?
3. What is your favorite novel that you have written? Why? Does critical acclaim always equal success for you as an author or do you find it is more about the complexity/quality of the story for you?

Govier questions

1. How extensive was the research to fully understand the Japanese culture and terminology?

2. Can you elaborate on your choices to make the views written from different perspectives?

3. Do you know someone personally who is a pearler? Have you experienced it yourself?

1. What made you decide to give readers two stories, i.e. a cross between Vera's life and her family history?

2. What was your intnetion for the interpretation of the different artwork in the novel? What connections did you expect readers to make with the art and Vera's life?

3. How much research and background information did you have to gather on pearl diving, Japan, and WWII before you could really start your story? What made you decided to write about this?

Questions for Govier

1.) In each of the three sections (views) of the novel, Vera presents us with a different story for the three panels. Are these panels meant to be a progression of Vera's perspective of the world, or are they meant to be three possible perspectives, of which each is simultaneously true? Why did you intend it as such?

2.) The second world war is a major backdrop for the novel, and it is essential not only to the plot, but to certain characters as well. Why did you use this historical event as opposed to others?

3.) How long did it take you to write the novel? Also, did you know what you were going to write before you wrote it, or did the story progress as it was written? How much research did you have to do to write this novel?

Three Questions of Crystal Water

1) Loneliness seems to be a theme throughout the novel (i.e. Ikkanshi's isolation on the island, Keiko being unwelcome in Vancouver, Vera's loss of family and struggle to fit in). Do you believe the characters in your novel are inherently prone to loneliness, or are they just victims of circumstance?

2) Why did you choose to describe the woodblock prints as opposed to simply printing the images directly into the book?

3) Were there points in the novel when you wanted to quit on it? When and why?

Questions

1) How did you choose the narration for the novel? Did you try other ways and find this way fit best? What was your thinking process into the narration?

2) Did you end your novel with an idea totally different from when you began writing it? Did you find many passages along the way difficult fitting into the story?

3) How did you intend your writing style to influence the novel and its narration? How did you develop the perfect style for the story you were telling in the novel?

Katherine Goveir Questions

1.) What motivated your interest in the Japanese "art" of pearl diving, the ama, and your intent for writing Three Views of Crystal Water?

2.) In Three Views of Crystal Water
3.) What was your reasoning for writing the narrator's part in the first and third person narrative?

Questions about Three Views of Crystal Water

1. How long did you spend researching material for this book?
2. Looking back, is there anything you wished you had changed during the writing process and why?
3. What is your favorite part of the book and why?
   

Govier Questions

1. Why did you choose to write in both first and third person? Was there a particular effect you were trying to create in doing this?

2. Of all of the places in the world where pearl diving took place, why did you choose Japan to write about in your novel?

3. What was your overall inspiration for writing this novel? Is a fascination with a particular aspect of the novel?

What inspired you to write about the ama and pearl diving in particular?

Before this book I had never heard of sword polishing, what made you choose that profession for Ikkanshi?

If you had to choose a character that you most identified with, who would it be?

Questions for Govier

1. Unlike some of the other novels we've read during this semester, including Plath's "Bell Jar" and Tremblay's "The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant" which have been roughly autobiographical and Vonnegut's "Player Piano" and Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale" which have make a political statement, the intent of your novel is less clear. There seem to be disparate elements both in terms of it being a personal tale and making some sort of social statement regarding the pearl trade, but these references prove fleeting. My question is thus, was there any one thing in particular that you meant to convey through this story; what should the reader take away from it?

2. The story is told from several points of view-- old Vera, young Vera, the sword polisher, just to name a few. Each adds a new piece to the puzzle and adds insight regarding the pasts of the other characters; what prompted you to write the novel in this format, as opposed to being more up front with the characters' histories?

3. With regards to my previous question, at the novel's beginning I personally found it difficult to sympathize with the character Vera-- in spite of her tragic history, she exhibits behavior in the novel's early pages that is somewhat bizarre, and definitely selfish-- particularly with regards to her relationships with her grandfather and Keiko. As the novel progresses Vera seems to come into her own and becomes a more agreeable character and one that is easier to associate with; was this your intent, and if so why? (ie. what was the "intent behind the intent")

Questions for Author

What made you decide to add the different character vantage points? (such as Vera's and her grandfather's).

What made you decide to switch the point of views? (such as third person, first person, young Vera, old Vera)

What made you decide to revolve the story around the business of pearls?

Govier Questions

1. I have no doubt that much research went into the writing of this novel, since you chose to portray a culture much different than your own. I understand where you would find information to base the geography of the setting and customs of people, but what about the idiosyncrasies, like interaction between characters? And even the significance of the names you chose for the characters? As an outsider, how were you able to make decisions like that, while staying true to the culture and to the story you were trying to tell?

2. How did the tradition of pearl diving become known to you? Did it start with the pearl, and curiosity grew from there? Were you aware of the history long before the thought for the story became realized?

3. The ordering of the passages are very interesting to me. How did your writing process differ, if at all, from the layout of the published version? Did you write in the same sequence as it appears, or were the "flashbacks" arranged later?

Questions for Govier

While writing Three Views of Crystal Water, were you surprised by anything you added to the novel, such as a turn in the development of a character or any meaning that was not originally intended?

When you envision the end of the novel, are Tamio and Vera together?

What was the most challenging aspect of writing the novel as Vera looking back at herself?