BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Mads H. Odgaard about his writing and recently released book, My Mother Said My Name, an emotionally rich and intellectually engaging story of loss, displacement, and belonging (Read the review here.).

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The title is striking and intimate. What does “My Mother Said My Name” mean to you, and how did it become the title of the novel?

The novel is first and foremost about a personal loss of a mother. So the title speaks to people, who have experienced loss and grief and struggle to find a light in the darkness. If I explain, how ”My mother said my name” became the title of the novel, I would reveal to much of the ending to the reader, which would be a great shame. So please accept my apologies – I have to abstain from giving a full answer to the question.

The book explores questions of identity, belonging, and family. Were there particular experiences, observations, or conversations that inspired these themes?

Yes, a personal loss of a familiy member inspired the themes.

How did you approach writing the relationship between parent and child, especially the tensions between love, memory, and expectation?

I talked to my own parents and my children about it and also did some research on the topics.

Many readers may recognize elements of themselves in the protagonist’s search for identity. What did you hope readers would discover about themselves through this story?

I hoped, they would discover that you can loose everything, meaning one of your dear ones, your country and identity – and still find yourself. For some it’s possible. So there is hope.

The novel balances personal emotions with broader social and cultural questions. How did you work to keep those larger themes grounded in the characters’ lived experiences?

I am inspired by the British sociologist, Anthony Giddens, and his work on structuration theory, which says that society is created through the ongoing interaction between structures and human agency. The basic idea is that structures influence people’s actions, but people also reproduce or change structures through their everyday behavior. Maybe also the Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, is an inspiration for, how the novel strikes the noted balance. Readers will know how, when they read the novel.

So, what I did was to do exactly that: Due to the overtake of Afghanistan by the Taleban, Mina’s loses a family member and is forced to flee her hometown and country. And the outcome of the 2024 presidential election spurs a spark in the innermost soul of Mina and provokes her to do something – just do something. Mina as a person holds a great degree of human agency in her, because of the inspiration she has gotten from her mother’s example, and also because she basically is strong-willed as a person. So, when the opportunity arises, she seizes it and acts to herself change some structures in the hope of influencing other peoples’ actions and lives. It’s all a seesaw-effect.

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

My favourite is the chapter, where Mina and Mr. Mendelsohn have lunch at Loeb’s Boathouse in Central Park in New York. The dialogue that Mina and Mr. Mendelsohn have about the loss of his wife and the grief, he feels and still feels many years after is, I believe, direct and intimate. Also, I like the chapter very much, because of the way the scenery and the atmosphere in and outside Loeb’s Boathouse is unfolded. They mirror the dialogue, the two dear friends have.

Looking back now that the book is published, has anything surprised you about readers’ reactions or interpretations of the story?

Yes, some readers tell me that they love old Mr. Mendelsohn more than Mina, the protagonist. Mr. Mendelsohn is a dear figure, I agree. But it surprises me that he touches the heart of some readers more than Mina. I mean, Mina is the protagonist, who struggles with quite a number of issues, and I personally believe, she is an even more dear figure.

Also, I am a bit surprised that some readers really love the combination of inner most feelings and societal topics like woke, university politics, foreign policy, a presidential election and a mission to Afghanistan and others definitely do not. The latter clearly prefer novels about inner most feelings, only.

Your language is both direct and emotionally nuanced. How did you develop the novel’s voice, and were there any authors or works that influenced your writing of this book?

I believe the novel’s voice just came to me automatically. I did not think much about in advance of the writing process. I can be, and is quite emotional of character. So mayb I just listened to my inner voice and put it down on paper. However, If I am influenced by any author for the novel’s voice, it is Amos Oz and for example the voice of the main character in the novel ”To know a woman.”

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope young people, who have lost a parent, will recognize parts of themselves in Mina, and that Mina will give them hope and inspiration for, how to continue with life and live a good life despite their loss.

What’s next for you?

I’m a third into writing a third novel. This time we go Greenland. But then, who doesn’t these days?

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