Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Mississippi Gulf Coast on
August 29, 2005. The release of
“Aftermath Lounge” by Margaret McMullan seems perfect. “Aftermath Lounge” is a compilation of
stories about citizens of Pass Christian, Mississippi. As McMullan introduces each character, the
feelings and emotions feel so real.
Subsequently, McMullan paints how Hurricane Katrina not only affected
the citizens of Mississippi, but also affected other individuals indirectly.
McMullan provides a glimpse into the happenings of the
characters lives before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina damaged the
Mississippi Coast. The first story
introduces the reader to Norma, who is housesitting before Hurricane Katrina
hits. Norma and her husband are starting
a new parenting journey because they have adopted Norma’s friend, Donna’s
son.
The title story follows Norma’s ex-husband Catch. Catch happens to rescue a woman, named Nancy
from a dog attack. Catch takes Nancy out
on a date to a restaurant named Kafe Katrina and the Aftermath Lounge.
Being from Mississippi and having experienced the effects of
Hurricane Katrina in the Metro Jackson area, I understood the messages that
McMullan was delivering through each story within “Aftermath Lounge.” McMullan
presents the good, the bad, and the ugly about Hurricane Katrina and its
effects. I truly enjoyed reading “Aftermath Lounge”
because even though this is a fictional compilation, I remembered how traumatic
Hurricane Katrina was.
From the very beginning to the very end, McMullan keeps the reader interested. This book is great for those who experienced Hurricane Katrina
firsthand, as well as for individuals who were curious about Hurricane
Katrina. “Aftermath Lounge” is the
second book that I have read by Margaret McMullan, and I must say that I was
not disappointed.
Check out my other review about "Every Fathers Daughter" by Margaret McMullan: EVERY FATHERS DAUGHTER .
For more information about Margaret McMullan, check out her website.
Check out the Q&A with Margaret McMullan.
Aftermath
Lounge
1. Aftermath Lounge
honors the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Can you tell us about your
experience during those days when the storm hit?
Shortly
after the storm hit, my husband and I drove down from Evansville, Indiana to
Pass Christian, Mississippi. We saw aerial footage of the town and we could see
that the roof on my parents’ house was mostly intact – that’s all we could see.
We brought water and a lot of supplies to donate. There was a gas shortage then,
and limited cell phone coverage. The closer we came to the town, the more it
became like a war zone. The National Guard was there to keep people away, but
we got through, thanks to a relative.
The night
before we left, my mother told us to forget about everything else -- all she
really wanted was the painting of her mother, which had been smuggled out of
Vienna during WWII. We had
house keys but there were no doors. When we got there, the house was gutted –
the storm surge had essentially ripped through the house.
We put on
rubber gloves and spent the day sifting through the debris, dragging out any
salvageable pieces of furniture. The water had shoved through the closed
shutters, plowed up under the foundation and tore open the back walls, bashing
around the furniture, sinks, toilets, stoves, washers, driers.
We never did
find the painting.
Elizabeth
Bishop wrote a wonderful villanelle called “One Art.” She wrote about losing
small items like keys and an hour badly spent, then she progresses to the
greater losses -- her mother’s watch, a house, cities, rivers, a continent, and
finally, a loved one. “The art of losing isn’t hard to master,” she starts. “So
many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no
disaster.” I thought of that poem a lot.
2. Your family played a key role, helping Pass
Christian rebuild. What were a few moments that influenced you during that
time?
We
saw so many people from all walks of life and they were suddenly homeless. My
father organized financial donations. There were no fire trucks left after the
storm, so he made sure Pass Christian got a fire truck. We were always big
supporters of the library too. The Pass Christian Policemen had stayed during
the storm to make sure everyone was safe. They had tried to stay safe in the
library, but then when the water rose, they had to shoot out the windows to
swim away to safety. I used that information in the title story of Aftermath
Lounge. These men were real heroes.
3. Did you know from the
moment the storm hit that someday you would write a novel about it? Or did a
later experience give you the idea? If so, what was it?
At first I just witnessed. I think that’s what
writers do mostly. We witness. Then the material lets us know what it wants to
become. I just took notes. Later stories started taking shape and they were all
in different voices. It was the only way I could work at this material.
4. Part of your inspiration
for the novel came from your family's beautiful mansion. How did your own experiences
in that house shape each of the stories you wrote?
Well,
it’s hardly a mansion, but I was surprised to discover just how much a house
could mean. Everyone always says it’s
just stuff, but there were so many collective memories there. When we stood
and looked at everything so undone,
it felt like our times spent there were gone too.
Katrina had such a huge impact on the coast, on my family, and on
me. I am always telling my students to write what they most care about, to
write what keeps them up at night. I had
to write about Katrina. I had written about the Civil War, Reconstruction and
WWII, so I saw Katrina as an historical event. I treated the hurricane more as
setting. It’s in the background. The human drama is in the forefront. I’m
always interested in what people do or don't do in the face of real
catastrophe. I didn’t want to write from one point of view either. I wanted to
give voice to a variety of people because Katrina affected everyone.
5. What was your writing
process like for this novel? Did you know from the start it would be a novel in
stories? Or did that become apparent only after you began writing?
There
were so many news stories coming out at the time. I write nonfiction, but I
couldn’t get my thoughts together. I couldn’t make sense of anything. Out of
habit, I took a lot of notes. I could only deal with writing about all that was
happening a little bit at a time. And my own personal story just wasn’t that
interesting.
I personally witnessed and experienced the best in human nature.
People and communities came together and helped one another in the most
meaningful way. They endured with a great deal of kindness and grace. So I chipped away at the material. I
wanted to tell a community’s story.
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