Exclusive Interview: Rebecca McClanahan Reveals the Hidden Inspirations Behind "Light Falls On Everything"
When we spoke in 2020, you referred to this project as “care-grieving essays,” which I thought was a perfect description. When did you decide on “Light Falls on Everything” as your title?
Rebecca McClanahan: At that point in 2020, I was writing and publishing brief pieces, but once I noticed how they were talking to each other, I realized that this would not be a book of essays or even a memoir-in-essays (like In the Key of New York City) but instead would be a continuous narrative in three acts with numerous chapters. I had a working title, but after the book was accepted, I began searching for a title and subtitle that would convey the complex emotional landscape of the years of caring for my parents. My editor, marketing staff, and I volleyed numerous titles and subtitles back and forth, but none seemed right until I remembered the van Gogh letter with that beautiful, evocative phrase hidden inside it.
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