Kerry Clare's novel Waiting for a Star to Fall explores love, power and politics in the #MeToo era
This segment originally aired on Feb. 27, 2021.
Kerry Clare is a writer, editor and blogger from Toronto. She is also the author of the novel Mitzi Bytes. Her latest novel, Waiting for a Star to Fall, is about power, sexual misconduct and the choices that people make.
Waiting for a Star to Fall is about a young woman named Brooke who falls for Derek, the much older politician she works for. When Derek is caught in a major scandal, Brooke must re-examine their relationship and the man she thought she knew.
Clare spoke with Shelagh Rogers about writing Waiting for a Star to Fall.
A downfall
"We've been steeped in stories these last few years about #MeToo and the power dynamics between powerful people and women. I've been very interested in that. A few years ago, I saw a photo in the newspaper of a politician who was in the midst of his supposed downfall at that moment in time. He was being accused of sexual misconduct, but also of inappropriate relationships with women who were much younger than he was.
We've all been steeped in stories these last few years about #MeToo and the power dynamics between powerful people and women.
"He was denying all of this and defending his character. Then there was this photo in the paper of him with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, who was much younger and worked for him.
"It was a very interesting moment. It didn't surprise me because we all saw it coming.
"But I was very intrigued by this woman. I wondered what it would be like to be her — to love someone who's done bad things and to be in the public eye as well."
Power play
"Politicians are interesting to me because of the power that they hold — not just in interpersonal dynamics, but over the lives of ordinary people.
Writing the book was a way to explore power on the interpersonal level, but on a wider level.
"The fact that they are imperfect people, just like everyone else, is kind of terrifying, but also very interesting. Writing the book was a way to explore power on the interpersonal level, but on a wider level."
The choices we make
"Brooke tries to put as much distance between these women's experience and hers as possible. That is the experience of so many women when they hear stories of abuse.
"We'll try to make excuses about why that happened to that particular woman and how, if we were in that situation, our choices would have been different — or how we would never have been in that situation in the first place.
Brooke tries to put as much distance between these women's experience and hers as possible. And that is the experience of so many women when they hear stories of abuse.
"It's a lot of defensiveness and trying to make sure that you are safe. Brooke tries to explain why she's different — and why her story is not their story.
"But that becomes very uncomfortable throughout the novel, because the line is a little bit blurry."
Kerry Clare's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
