Hypertext Magazine asked Marc Sheinbaum, author of Memories Live Here, “Beyond the mystery and potential uses of artificial intelligence, what are you trying to convey about family through these characters and their flaws?”
By Marc Sheinbaum
My characters—the three brothers—yes, each are flawed as individuals. And like many of us, some of the seeds of these flaws are planted in our childhood. Not only by our parents but by our surroundings and what we witness as we grow up. We carry these flaws with us on our own journey. Just because we reach some stage of adulthood, twenty or thirty, or fifty or sixty, do we ever really shake ourselves free?
The story digs into some of these painful memories—how the brothers’ upbringing impacts how they feel about themselves and the people in their lives. And to some extent, how the choices they made along the way as adults intensifies their flaws—magnifies them. The careers they pursue, their relationship with each other, how far they’re willing to go to get the things they want—or at least, think they want, the things they think are important for our happiness and success.
Of course, Josh, Donny and Louie are very different from one another, and they experienced their childhood in very different ways. The brilliant one who just wants to put his head down and escape from his father—even long after his father has been killed in a car crash; the star athlete who never finds his way after his dreams are shattered; the underachiever who unknowingly gets led to the dark side, and thinks he has something to prove. As I said, these are seeds planted in their youth which carry over for the rest of their lives.
The novel takes place when these brothers are in their late forties and fifties—well after their childhood–but they still might not have the tools and the information they need to understand–to get to the other side of their collective journey, especially when both of their parents are dead and buried, and there’s so much they don’t know. At the end of the day, can they forgive each other? Can they forgive their parents? Can they forgive themselves?
[cmsmasters_divider shortcode_id=”uasww6mnf” width=”long” height=”1″ position=”center” margin_top=”50″ margin_bottom=”50″ animation_delay=”0″]
Marc Sheinbaum grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. After graduating from State University of New York at Albany and New York University, he worked in business for over thirty-five years, mostly within large corporations. He currently resides in Westchester County, New York, with his wife, Hildy, where he spends his time writing fiction.
To learn more about Memories Live Here and where you can order it, please go to the author’s website here.
