The Ha-Ha

THE HA-HA
By Dave King
Little, Brown and Company, 2005

The only thing better than discovering a great book is discovering that the author of a book you care about is a great human being. This happened to me just last night. First, I should tell you that I don’t read much adult fiction these days. It isn’t really a conscious decision so much as a frustrating reality. There are just so many books I want to read and so very little time to read them. And because I like to read across genres, the stack on my bedside table is always tall. Every now and again, though, my friend Jane recommends an adult novel, and when she does I slip it into the stack. (Jane is a true bibliophile. She introduced me to Lois Lowry and to Roald Dahl and, as a result, I trust her implicitly.) And so when Jane recommended I read THE HA-HA, I read it.

It is a lovely book. It is the sort of book that comes alive quickly and leaves you wistful at the end. If you are a writer, it is the sort of book that renews your drive and fills you with wonder and awe at the art of creating novels. If you love characters, it is the sort of book you will think about for a long, long time. I could tell you more about it, but I think it would be better if you just picked it up and read it yourself. It is that sort of book. Besides, I’d rather tell you about its author, Dave King.

Dave is a tremendously nice man. I met him for the first time last night at a library event that my friend Jane coordinated. He read from the novel (I was fascinated by the passages he chose to read) and then took questions from the audience. He was humble and exceedingly polite. His answers were honest and generous. He seemed to enjoy himself, and I loved that. I asked him about character development through the course of the novel-writing process, and he told me that for him, the characters don’t develop during the process so much as he (the author) moves closer and closer to understanding them (his characters).

Dave also shared this advice to writers: be generous with yourself. Allow yourself to admire your own ideas–even your silly and crazy and never-gonna-work ideas. Embrace them, be proud of them, weave them unflinchingly into your novel, at least for a while. Try them out. There will be time enough later to worry about whether the idea is good enough to stay in your book. What excellent (and freeing!) advice.

I was one of the last people to have my book signed and my short, personal moment with Dave solidified my good feelings about him. He found out that my own first book will be published soon (surprise, surprise … my friend Jane was involved in this revelation), and he was so sincerely excited and interested that I could have hugged him. He even suggested I contact him after the book is out so that he can alert his sister, who is a children’s librarian. In my copy of THE HA-HA he wrote: “To Loree, Thanks for your wise question and kind words. With best wishes, Dave King”

So, if you like discovering great novels, pick up THE HA-HA. And if you are inspired by honest and creative people, try to meet Dave King in person. I am sure you will like him as much as I did.

Best,
Loree