Isolation of a Child of Divorce

Early reviews of Michelle Latiolais’ first novel, “Even Now,” praise it for being “delicate” and “lyrically evocative” (Kirkus Reviews) as it probes “a common theme with new depth and without dreariness” (Booklist).

But a mixed review in Publishers Weekly also describes the Costa Mesa writer’s sensitively written novel about the struggles of a Northern California girl caught between her divorced parents as “slow-moving.”

Laughs Latiolais: “I know where the belly blows are going to come with the book, but I sort of disagree.”

She acknowledges that her novel is not heavy on plot and action. But calling it slow-moving, Latiolais said, “is a funny criticism, I think, because is it about things that move quickly, or things that go by quickly? No. It’s about things that stay with you the rest of your life.”

More important than how fast “Even Now” reads, Latiolais believes, is the emotional response readers have to her coming-of-age narrative about adolescent Lisa Sandham, whose world is turned upside-down with her parents’ divorce and subsequent battle over her custody. The reader follows the introspective Lisa as she moves through her teen-age years feeling a constant sense of loss and lingering guilt as she charts the uncertain waters of self-discovery.

Latiolais, 33, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Denver, is a 1988 graduate of UCI’s MFA Program in Writing. She holds the distinction of being the only person in the program’s history to earn a master’s of fine arts degree in both fiction and poetry.

She was part of what former writing program director Oakley Hall refers to as his “magic workshop.” Members included Michael Chabon (“The Mysteries of Pittsburgh”), Jay Gummerman (“We Find Ourselves in Moontown”), Louis B. Jones (“Ordinary Money”) and several others whom Latiolais says the public will soon be hearing from.

Latiolais, who is now director of UCI’s undergraduate writing program, wrote “Even Now” as her master’s thesis in fiction.

The novel, however, underwent several rewrites over the next two years before it was sold to Farrar, Straus & Giroux for a $20,000 advance.

“I’m surprised to this day that this book is published; I’m incredulous,” she said. “You get this response from people: ‘I don’t want to read anything that will depress me.’

“Maybe I’m just of the Greek tragedy school of reading. If I have a good cry I’m delighted. It’s cathartic. I’m not very interested in writing things that go by quickly and you never have to think about again. It’s not that I’m Miss Heavyosity. But with a lot of those things, ‘So what?’ is my response.”

Although Latiolais emphasized that “Even Now” is not autobiographical, she tapped many of her own feelings and memories as a child whose parents were divorced when she was 7.

In writing her novel, Latiolais said, “I was interested in the isolation of childhood. I certainly put those details in. I didn’t grow up with very many people who had two parents.” The marital split that opens “Even Now” causes 10-year-old Lisa to turn inward, Latiolais portraying the girl’s feelings of powerlessness, torn loyalties and sense that anything she says to either her mother or her father may be used by them as a type of emotional weaponry against the other.

“I think there’s a tremendous pressure on children standing between two parents, and anything they say and almost anything they do can be construed in a certain way--and they know it too,” said Latiolais, who grew up in Sonoma, the setting for the novel. “That was a big impetus for the book. I believe that children understand and perceive everything. “

Divorce, she said, “sets up this vigilance. You’re always watching because you know that everything could just mutate instantly into something else. You’re just vigilant and you’re always on the lookout and you’re so overly careful. And I think that causes a lot of pain. I think it closes you down in a lot of ways.”

In the end, however, teen-age Lisa has gained a sense of self and is on her way to becoming an independent young woman.

Latiolais doesn’t mind giving that much of the story away.

“From a couple of the responses I’ve gotten from people, it might be helpful (to know) there is an upside to the book--the fact that it does end up on an upbeat note,” she said with a laugh. “So I think that’s maybe not a bad thing for people to hear, that there is a little light.”