Why Dianne Warren wrote a novel about how family legacy and secrets define us
Dianne Warren is a writer and dramatist from Saskatchewan. Her 2010 novel Cool Water won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. She is also the author of the novel Liberty Street and three short story collections.
Her most recent novel is The Diamond House. It's about Estella Diamond, the only daughter of successful brick factory owner. Estella soon discovers something none of her brothers knew: that her father used to be married to an aspiring ceramics artist called Salina, an uncompromisingly rebellious figure.
Warren spoke with Shelagh Rogers about writing The Diamond House.
Estella the elder
"The first part of Estelle's life that I thought about was Estella in her old age. I believe the first section that I wrote that featured Estella was the section where she collapses in the grocery store and gets taken to the hospital against her will.
Her feisty old age character comes out. I found myself having to figure out how she got there.
"Her feisty old age character comes out. I found myself having to figure out how she got there. That's the point where I went back to the very young Estella and the character Salina, upon whom she models her fantasy image of herself."
Diamond days
"My own family history in Saskatchewan is a farming and ranching history. Saskatchewan is not only a farming and ranching province. There were these so-called colonial founding fathers that were engaged in business enterprises. That was a stretch for me because I don't have entrepreneurs or business people in my own family.
"I had to imagine who [Estelle's father, Oliver] was, who came to Saskatchewan not wanting to be a farmer. I came up with the idea of the brick plant because Regina is a city built on heavy clay. I'm reminded of that every time I try and dig my garden.
Saskatchewan is not only a farming and ranching province. There were these so-called colonial founding fathers that were engaged in business enterprises.
"One time in my life, I did a Bachelor of Fine Arts and I [worked with] a lot of clay. Those two things came together, along with Selina the ceramic artist.
"So there's the industrial Oliver. Then his first wife, who wants to make beautiful teapots. All of that grew out of the idea of the clay that I live on."
Dutiful daughter
"I had an aunt who was a schoolteacher. Certainly Estella is not my aunt, but my single aunt did retire from teaching to look after my grandparents. She was always very proud of the fact that she had done that. The family was extremely grateful that she did that.
We've been so much part of Estella's life that it would have been impossible to write the ending without that uncompromising look at her old age.
"But I do believe that she did that as a single daughter. If she had been married and had her own children, she wouldn't have been in that position to be able to do it. I did think about my aunt when I was writing Estella."
"We've been so much part of Estella's life that it would have been impossible to write the ending without that uncompromising look at her old age. The contradictions in her life come out when she's an old person.
"In old age, she becomes dependent. In the last section, she has to find ways to be independent while she is physically dependent on others."
Dianne Warren's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
