Sheltering: Anna Solomon Talks About the Impacts of Inequality on Women

On this episode of Sheltering, Maris Kreizman speaks with Anna Solomon about her new novel, The Book of V. The novel is the story of three separate women in different eras and situations, drawing a thread through their experiences. Solomon discusses the ambitiousness of the novel, the surprising intimacies of virtual events, and how she’s filling her quarantine days. Solomon’s favorite local bookstore is Community Bookstore; please purchase The Book of V. through their website, or through Bookshop.

From the episode:

Maris Kreizman: When i think about the evolution of your story in the time of the pandemic—it seems like the implication for women’s roles right now are pretty big.

Anna Solomon: They are, I think on both sides—there are a lot of men in power in the book who shouldn’t be in power. Mostly they’re doofuses, but some are evil, and I think we can see both of those things and consequences in a way that is so crystallized and terrifying.

And on the other hand we can see the impact on women. And other people, but these are the ones who are always taking on the brunt of the impact of the inequities in the society. For example, one in three women in this country work essential jobs. And everything that’s going on with domestic violence… and then lower stakes, those of us who are dealing with managing our families and careers, doing it all.