Butterfly Songs

Clara Kumagai might be known to some of our readers for her first book, Catfish Rolling. Now that her second, Songs for Ghosts is also out she kindly took time from her busy schedule to answer some questions for us. You can find reviews of both books on our website.

This is your second book ~ congratulations! After setting out on your writing journey did you know you had lots of stories to tell? How do the challenges of writing a second book compare to the first?

Thank you!

I don’t know if it’s that I have a lot of stories to tell, but more that I always have another. Generally I only focus on one thing at a time rather than working on multiple projects. Something I’ve heard other writers say is that every time you write a book you just learn how to write that one—every story requires something new. This time round I started with a firmer structure and outline, but it always gets sort of abandoned at a certain point! I also wrote two narratives, which was something I haven’t done very often before, and one was historical fiction, which was also new for me. One of the biggest challenges is the comparison itself between a first and second book—I can’t help but sometimes think if one is ‘better’ than the other. But they are just different!

This story is inspired by Madame Butterfly, why & how have you used it to tell your story?

I think I first saw the opera Madama Butterfly in 2015 or 2016, and even though I knew the general story seeing a live performance was an amazing experience. Aside from it being a story that reflects (and in some ways, created) the narrative of the submissive Asian woman, I was also struck by the character of the main character, Cio-Cio-san’s son. I felt both that I wanted to tell another story of Cio-Cio-san, as well as her son. Because Cio-Cio-san’s son is half-Japanese, that resonated with me a lot.

Are you a fan of opera or is there more behind the inspiration than a love of dramatic music performances ~ is it the history behind this particular piece that inspired you?

My father loves opera, and so does my godfather (that’s who took me to see it) so I think I grew up with it on in the background. That said, I don’t have much knowledge of them at all. I do love theatre, and studied it in university, and think it’s a very powerful way of storytelling and performance. Madama Butterfly has a long history that both precedes it and followed after it, which I found fascinating. Another wonderful element of theatre is how it can reinterpreted and staged differently, and I was fortunate to talk to Aria Umezawa, a Japanese-Canadian opera director who has herself directed Madama Butterfly several times in fresh new ways.

Do you see yourself in your characters and/or have you drawn on your own heritage when creating them?

It’s more that I can draw on my experiences when creating characters rather than writing myself into them. There’s an old piece of advice which is “write what you know.” I don’t really adhere to that but certainly what I know is probably going to come through; but we can also write what we imagine or learn or discover through engaging with the world and with other people.

Was it a conscious decision to make Adam gay? Were there any particular influences that led to the decision?

Songs for Ghosts has its roots in a short story I wrote after seeing that production of Madama Butterfly, and I couldn’t really get it right… But even then, the main character was a teenage boy and his queerness was part of him. I think it’s important to have more queer representation for young people, but in the case of Adam it wasn’t a conscious decision. It means that Adam has more complexities to work through in some of his relationships with others, and also in different places. It’s a sort of thematic continuation of how relationships between people of different racial and cultural backgrounds play out in Madama Butterfly and in the diary narrative of the book.

How did Adam shape the story unfolding, did he have had opinions as you wrote?

The best characters do have a way of leading the story even as you write it! Identifying Adam’s flaws in particular drove the story, because those served as the obstacles in some cases. Developing him and the diary writer was interesting because I wanted to make sure their voices and personalities really came through as being different.

Secrets hidden in attics make great stories! Why do you think we hide these events but never delete them. Have you ever found any great secrets in an attic?

Sadly I have never found any secrets in an attic! But I certainly love finding old photos, notebooks, or messages—even my own that I wrote when I was small. It can be really funny and embarrassing but also enlightening—sometimes I’m surprised by how much writing voice or opinions have changed… and sometimes they are exactly the same.

The inspiration behind the story is clear. Did you have to do a lot of research to get the facts & material you needed to make your story authentic?

I enjoy research, and for most of my work it has been very much required. I read a lot, and for the diary narrative that meant a lot of history books. I also really enjoy speaking to people and have been lucky that experts have been generous with their time. In the process of my research I spoke to a biwa player, a musicologist, and an opera director, among others. This is often to make sure details are accurate, but often I’m given facts or insights I never even dreamed of. I also learned to play the cello!

Once you begin researching for a story & have the material you need how do you decide what will go in or is that an evolving process?

Usually I just can’t put in all the amazing things I’ve learned so I have to decide what is crucial to the character and story. This might mean taking details out during the editing process, but even if that’s the case it can be a good way to develop characters and their backstories, even if the reader doesn’t see them.

Both your books have been inspired by your Japanese heritage. Does that speak strongly to the storyteller in you?

For those two novels, yes, but I don’t think it will be in everything I write. I am always interested in representing diverse characters though, and the exchanges between different cultures and people.

What did you learn & what’s the most important message for readers in Songs for Ghosts?

Apart from learning the cello I learned a lot about Japanese history, and Nagasaki in particular. As for an important message—this sounds like I am dodging the question but I do feel like there are several important messages in Songs for Ghosts but it’s up to readers to find what is important to them. I’ve had readers tell me things about my books that I didn’t really think of before, and that can be magical.

Do you have future stories in mind?

I think I would like to explore new territory and genres, probably exploring stories set in and around Ireland. I would like to try something new in every book I write!

Songs for Ghosts is out now, published by Zephyr, available from all good booksellers.

My thanks to Clara for taking the time to answer these questions so insightfully for us all and to Katey Pugh for making this possible.