Our good buddy J. D. Torian over at Austin’s Pizza is a big fan of The Tiger, John Vaillant’s true account of a man-eating Russian tiger and the efforts of one team to hunt down this deadly predator before he strikes again. Back in June, J. D. was fortunate enough to be granted an interview with Vaillant, who will be here at BookPeople to speak and sign this national bestseller on Monday, October 3, 7p. He’s granted us permission to reprint that Q&A here (thanks, J. D.!)
John Vaillant: First of all, many thanks for your interest in The Tiger. I am flattered, and I love the idea of linking books with pizza – two of my favorite things! I wish you every success with this program.
JD (from Austin’s Pizza): Both The Golden Spruce and The Tiger deal with survival in harsh environments. Why does this struggle resonate with you?
JV: I think because it’s at these outer edges of physical and psychic experience that you get a window into a person’s – and an animal’s – essential character. Also, both of these stories highlight fault lines in the human-nature relationship, and these generally occur in challenging environments, far from human settlement. How we manage these tensions will determine the fate of countless species, including ours.
JD: The three central figures in The Tiger are hard to classify as typical static protagonists/ antagonists thru the narrative.
JV: I think reality is in its nature, ambiguous and subjective. There are, in my experience, very few truly simple, black and white situations or characters. One of the reasons this story appealed to me is because of its real-world ambiguity. Once you get to know the characters, it’s harder, I think, to take a black and white view of them. I see all of them as embattled, vulnerable and somewhat tragic figures who are at the mercy of forces far more powerful than themselves.
JD: Who do you think is the protagonist and the antagonist? Is this distinction even possible?
JV: There are many readers who root for the tiger on principle, and I sympathize. I guess I would have to say…..
For the full Q&A, please visit the Austin’s Pizza blog.
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