Paola Peretti
About Author
PAOLA PERETTI is Italian and was born in the province of Verona, where she still lives today. She studied literature and philosophy and graduated in publishing and journalism in 2011 with a thesis on gender discrimination in literature. She also attended the Palomar School of creative writing in Rovigo and has worked as a waitress, bartender, babysitter and teacher, while writing articles for the local newspaper. The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree is her first novel.
Paola is currently teaching Italian to immigrant children from Senegal, Nigeria, China, Romania, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Moldova and Russia.
Interview
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND THE CHERRY TREE
HOT KEY BOOKS
AUGUST 2018
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND THE CHERRY TREE is a warm and moving novel for 9+ readers that follows ten-year-old Mafalda who is losing her sight.
The novel, which is paced against the shortening distance from which Mafalda can see a cherry tree outside her school, explores how she copes with her worsening sight and the fear and sadness this brings. Friendship is a particularly strong theme in the story, and the importance of sharing one's fears with close friends and loved ones.
We asked author and teacher PAOLO PERETTI to tell us more about how she drew on her own experiences to write the book and how it developed:
Q: The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree explores what happens to a child, Mafalda, who is losing her sight. Why did you want to write this book?
A: I started writing my book while I was attending a creative writing school. The teacher felt I captured the voice of a little girl well, so I started thinking about the story of Mafalda, even if I was a bit afraid to face her story with my own sight problems. In the end, writing the book has been a sort of therapy for me.
Q: How much of it is based around your own experiences? Was it a difficult book to write?
A: I'm not Mafalda, but she is a part of my soul. A lot of what she goes through in the novel has happened to me, but I was older then her, and more aware. But the book has been a difficult process for me, because in every chapter I had to accept the problems with my eyes more and more, like Mafalda tries to do.
Q: Why did you decide to structure the story around the distance from which Mafalda can see the cherry tree?
A: The cherry tree is a stable element in Mafalda's life, a good landmark. It represents a place of imagination, dreams and memories. And when her eyesight gets worse, she is also distanced from all the things she loves.
Q: Can you tell us about Mafalda and how her character developed?
A: Mafalda is a typical girl, she loves playing, she likes having a pet, she dreams. But she's also very scared about her situation. No child wants to be too different from others, and nobody wants to face difficult situations alone. So Mafalda starts looking for possible solutions, or escape routes, and for friends who can understand and help her. She will find them in unexpected people. And she will maybe understand that the best solution to a problem is thinking in an alternative way about what we want and we can do with our possibilities, and also trying to exceed our limits - with the help of a bit of courage.
Q: You bring in some specific books that Mafalda loves, including The Baron in the Trees and The Little Prince. Why did you choose these books for her?
A: I read The Baron in the Trees when I was very young and I immediately loved the strength of the main character, his jump to freedom, and also the variety of themes that the writer, Italo Calvino, tackled. The Little Prince is a magical book, very "simple" in appearance but with a lot of very deep messages inside it.
Q: There are some wonderful supporting characters in the story, who is your favourite and what do they bring to Mafalda's story?
A: I think that my favourite supporting character is Filippo, because he doesn't hide his nature. He is a "bad boy" - he is very angry - and he doesn't change to be accepted. He is very honest. Filippo and Estella are able to confront their fear face on, and Mafalda learns from them.
Q: Mafalda is encouraged to write a list of things that to her are 'essential' in life, which changes as she grows and her understanding of life develops. If you were to write such a list, what would be at the top of it?
A: Being myself and living life in freedom.
Q: During the story Mafalda learns a lot about friendship, courage and adversity. What would you like your readers to take away from The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree?
A: I would like the readers to no longer feel alone in facing troubles, and encouraged to live with passion and to find strength to go on in their life. It's a very big expectation for such a little book, but as I used to say to myself: Why not? Dream it.
Q: The book has been translated from Italian into English, were you involved at all in the translation and have you read the English version?
A: I was only in part involved in the translation. I think you must have trust in the professionals, and then, when I read the book translated, I loved it. Denise Muir is a great translator, very sensitive and clever.
Q: Are you doing events with children focusing on your book, and if so what do your events involve?
A: Not yet, but I'll start soon, and I would like to create some funny and very relaxed events with children. I also want to promote reading to children and the sharing of particular themes, like disability or other sorts of 'differences'.
Q: What kind of work do you do when you're not writing?
A: Up until a few months ago I was a journalist for a local newspaper and a teacher (I've been a teacher for seven years, I taught Italian to foreign children).
Q: What, or where, is your favourite escape?
A: My escape is looking at the sky at night, listening to music, and also laughing. I love joking: irony can save you.
Image credit: Mirko Fin
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree (6.99) is published by Hot Key Books and is available now.
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree
