These from Simon Van Booy, author of The Secret Lives of People in Love (Turtle Point Press, 2007) and, forthcoming in 2009 from Harper Perennial, Love Begins in Winter and Waiting for God:
What was the best book of the year?
I’m really not a good person to ask what was good about 2007, as I’m a few years late with everything. But here goes:
I read The Great Gatsby for the first time after it was sent to me by a friend. I loved it. I wonder if Fitzgerald liked Emily Bronte? Now I’m reading Stig Dagerman’s A Burnt Child.
What was the best movie?
The Darjeeling Limited. I just love the line: “What’s wrong with you?”
What was the best song/album?
Les Ondes Silencieuses by Colleen. If you don’t know who she is, then you’re missing a rare talent. This woman is magic.
Who was the person of the year?
Marcel Marceau—the French mime who died in September. During World War II, as a member of the French Resistance, he saved numerous Jewish children from the concentration camps, then after the war, dedicated his life to spreading ‘the art of silence.’ Amazing how someone who said nothing managed to say everything.
What is your New Year’s resolution?
Drink more water. Get up earlier. Learn how to use a sextant. Finish my next book. Talk to strangers.
Any predictions for 2008?
I think millions of people are going to ‘fall’ in love when they least expect it to happen.
