Today we talk about Where the Heart Isn’t, a book by Ileana Stoica published with our Publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Ileana Stoica, to get to know her better, if there was a particular moment that led her to the writing of her book Where the Heart Isn’t, as well as if there is a book she is particularly attached to and that has taught her something.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Is there a particular moment in your life that led you to the writing of your book? What was it?
There is no single moment in my life, but rather a cumulative experience. That said, discovering America in my 20s was a memorable episode; I made a mental note at the time that I would chronicle it somehow. Then, over the next couple of decades, I found myself caught in some beguiling, almost ironic, twists of events; I describe some of them in the book. After setting up my own company on the cusp of 40, I started interacting with people and the outside world in a more intentional way. But it was not until the pandemic that I really found the time to take stock of my experiences. By that point, I had accumulated a critical mass! I will confess that writing a memoir like “Where the Heart Isn’t” was a tough act – a balancing act. I needed to gain perspective, but not detachment. I needed to feel like I was part of a group – a whole generation, actually – while holding on to my own unique worldview. Above all, I needed to find a good vantage point. All of these came into place when I turned 50. There is something about spending half a century on this planet that says: “I am someone with an interesting past and an educated guess about the future. Someone whose story will be worth your time.”
- What would you like to hear from your readers?
As a first-time author, hearing from my readers is an emotive experience. I hope this feeling never wears off! I am already hearing how they find snippets of their own stories in the book, how they relate to some of the events and experiences described. In particular, it makes me proud when readers comment on the “quiet resilience” and “stunning honesty” of the narrative. Indeed, it did take courage to place under a lens not only my inner processes, but also the social dynamics I was entangled in. I have tried to do this with objectiveness – I was trained as a scientist, after all – but also with that element of human emotion that engages the reader and makes for good storytelling. I would particularly be interested in those readers with vastly different backgrounds from mine. What was it about this story that they connected to, and why?
- What significant life experiences find expression in your book?
“Where the Heart Isn’t” weaves a myriad personal experiences that speak to a collective narrative. After all, it is dedicated “to the self-reliant spirit on Generation X”. Entire chapters are devoted to my exploration of the American, Canadian and British cultures, with a multi-faceted commentary and, I hope, a bit of humour. I chose not to shy away from uncomfortable truths. I talk about the many hurdles alongside the academic path, my culture shock when joining the corporate world, and what it’s like to become the office pariah overnight in Brexit Britain. This is not a sanitised memoir; in places, it is quite raw. Beyond the personal, I was fortunate to have had a “brush with history” more than once in my life. Some of the broader events that have deeply marked me, such as the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Romanian Revolution of 1989, find a well-deserved place in the memoir. But the most relevant experience, alluded to in the first chapter of “Where the Heart Isn’t” and brought to a conclusion in the last, is that of finding “home” in a country and language that are not my own. I liken it to the myth of Persephone, who constantly travels between worlds and symbolizes the cycle of death and rebirth. There is a fundamental lack of comfort in this predicament, which brought me in touch with my deepest unknowns and ultimately enriched me as a person.
- Is there a book you are particularly attached to and that has taught you something?
Interestingly, there is a lot in my book about … books! I used to devour books when I was young. In the memoir, I talk about my family legacy around literature and the written word, though none of this was in English, of course. Later on, as an academic, I discovered the amazing libraries hosted by Cornell University. And later still, as a young mother in London, I remember taking my son on a day trip to the British Library and being just as impressed as him! Psychology authors have always fascinated me, and I talk about them in my book: Jung, Berne, Winnicott. So, I have spent my life surrounded by books in one form or another. Nonetheless, there is one that has stayed with me like no other: Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita”. I was about 25 when I read it, and was struck with an awe bordering on the mystical. Few writers can hope to attain Bulgakov’s level of imagination, erudition and subtlety, I think. It’s no coincidence this was the work of a lifetime spent under a totalitarian regime.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
Thanks to this first successful project made possible by Europe Books, I have become more confident in my abilities as a creative writer. So, as soon as “Where the Heart Isn’t” was completed, I felt inspired to delve into a new topic. This will probably be a small novel. I find it hard to write large manuscripts, maybe because in my career as a science writer I learnt we should strive first and foremost to distil the content into its most potent form. In my new book, I delve into the Financial Crush of 2008. It is based on real-life stories, as the 2008 crisis found me and my family in the eye of the storm. The book follows David, a Quant who is laid off from his job in a large bank in London – but this is just the beginning of his problems. As he goes back and forth between London and his native Montréal, David meets a series of eclectic characters who end up guiding him through the messy maze that has become his life. I’m hoping to craft a tale of two cities and a cinematic, psychologically complex book that captivates on an emotional level while also informing the reader on an intellectual one. Those who do not study history are bound to repeat it – I believe we can avoid that!
Europe Books thanks the author, Ileana Stoica, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Where the Heart Isn’t. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, I hope this story will touch you, move you, and provide you with food for thought that will be useful for your everyday life.
So, my dear readers, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!