Terry McMillan talks with Sybil about “The Interruption of Everything“ in our exclusive Podcast! Be advised: these audio archives contain adult language.
Listen now:
Terry talks about the book
Developing her characters (part 1)
Developing her characters (part 2)
The importance of family
Friendship
The writing process
Being part of the black literature revolution
Terry goes after Tom & Donna!
What would the Terry McMillan story be?
Straight talk about her split from Jonathan
[Listen to Terry's on-air interview on the TJMS!]
What happens when a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Friend, Chief Cook and Bottlewasher has a physical as well as mental wake-up call? That is the crux of Terry McMillan's latest book, THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING. Once again, Ms. McMillan taps into a generation of women--our lives, our loves, our dreams still waiting to be fulfilled. Marilyn and her engineer husband, Leon, are living the good life in Northern California--good jobs, great kids now out of the house, but they're both miserable. Marilyn and Leon each experience that mid-life wake-up call, thus leading to THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING. -Sybil
Notes from the publisher:
In all of her blockbuster novels—including Waiting to Exhale and most recently A Day Late and a Dollar Short, which has sold over 2 million copies—Terry McMillan has enthralled readers with her irreverent, hilarious, and pitch-perfect characters and her ease in handling contemporary issues. With THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING (Viking; July 2005; $25.95; ISBN 0-670-03144-5) McMillan delves into the tempestuous waters of midlife and a family in limbo, reminding us once again of the power of friendship and providing an empathetic story for anyone at the crossroads of middle life.
Marilyn Grimes is in her mid-forties, coasting along in a marriage that lacks passion, and facing “the change.” Her children have left home, leaving her time to apply to school, start a crafts business and get in shape for once and for all. However, just as Marilyn decides to focus on herself for a change, all hell breaks loose. A routine doctor’s visit reveals that Marilyn is not menopausal, but pregnant! Her ex-husband, Gordon, returns to her life and awakens old feelings. Her mother begins showing signs of Alzheimer’s, and her sister – a drug addict and single mother – needs help getting back on her feet. Finally, her nosy, opinionated, yet somehow irresistible mother-in-law Arthurine (along with her elderly dog Snuffy) takes up residence in the Grimes household. Thus, Marilyn’s role as care-giver begins anew.
Long-hailed as a master of capturing contemporary African-American life, McMillan creates a highly entertaining, deeply human page-turner full of heart and soul. With this novel, she is sure to expand her ever-growing legion of fans, as Marilyn Grimes and her perfectly nuanced relationships with family and friends have universal appeal.
About the author: Terry McMillan is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of five previous novels: Mama, Disappearing Acts, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and A Day Late and a Dollar Short and the editor of Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction.
