Boy from the North Country

Was the Bob Dylan element of the story a drawcard for you? Did it help or hinder your approach to Evan’s story?

Autofiction is an increasingly popular style of writing combining autobiography and fiction. Why do you think Sam Sussman chose to become ‘Evan’ on the page, and to write a novel instead of a memoir? Are there pros and cons to each approach?

In his Harper’s article ‘The Silent Type: On (possibly) being Bob Dylan’s son’, Sam Sussman writes, “ My mother told anecdotes the way she held a yoga pose, the way she practiced holistic medicine: with attention to each detail, strength radiating from her core.” What emotions were brought up for you when reading the mother-character June’s stories? Did you trust her recollections?

Whether in the context of health care, medical intervention, creative projects or childhood memory, both characters repeatedly grapple with denial and acceptance. How many instances of each did you notice in their stories? Chat about why this is such a strong theme in the novel.

The concept of nostalgia is touched on in the book, and as readers we get to indulge in a bit of enjoyable daydreaming about 1970s NYC and “reading poetry in a third-floor walk-up apartment”. Do you think Evan’s hopes for his future as a writer are tied up in his ideas of artists and art-making of the past? In what ways?

Sometimes it is hard to recommend beautiful, but sad stories (don’t we know it!). Would you recommend this book to others? Why?