Exclusive interview with author Mary Waters-Sayer and a review of her novel of passion and betrayal
Rating: 3 Stars
“The inspiration for The Blue Bath was a portrait glimpsed through a window,” says The Blue Bath author Mary Waters-Sayer. “One small moment of connection in a crowded city. I was living in London at the time, rushing to or from somewhere, as you do in the big city. I passed by an art gallery. There she was behind the glass, mingled with the reflection of the buildings across the street. We locked eyes for an instant as the city rushed past us.”
This book’s narrative moves between London and Paris and shows how one decision can change your whole life. The descriptions of Paris and London are vivid and romantic images. The characters not so much, and could benefit from more emotional depth to connect with the reader.
Kat Lind met Daniel, a young artist, in Paris when they were 19 years old. They had a passionate affair. Kat goes home, leaving Daniel. Years later, Kat is living in London with her husband Jonathan and their child Will. A notice of a solo art exhibit by Daniel draws her to go see him, to see if he remembers her. She discovers he has painted many pictures of her as a young woman, that he’s obsessed with her. Their relationship rekindles. He continues to paint her. Kat must choose between her family and passion.
“I got the idea for The Blue Bath during the time I was living in London, sometime around 2007,” says Waters-Sayer. “I have always harbored the secret desire to write a novel. For the next few years the manuscript was my constant companion, keeping me company as I left Europe and returned to the U.S. It was a delightful companion, allowing me to keep spending time in all those places that I had left behind, but that are still so much a part of me. I think it’s in our nature to try to contribute to the things we love, the things that we find beautiful and have reverence for. Books are high on that list for me.”
For research, Waters-Sayer use the internet and read books on art and painting. She also spent a good deal of time in museums, notably London’s National Gallery and the Tate Modern, and among the Rodin sculptures in Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center.
“I am a great fan of the visual arts, painting in particular,” says Waters-Sayer. “And, as someone who has absolutely no talent for painting, it was brilliant fun to be able to create works of art entirely out of words. Every single painting in the book is utterly real to me. I can see each one of them absolutely clearly.”
Waters-Sayer was first a writer as part of a career in public relations and investor relations. “Decidedly nonfiction,” says Waters-Sayer. “Although a very different type of writing, the experience was valuable. It acquainted me with the terror and beauty of impossible deadlines. It gave me confidence in my abilities. And, it made my skin a little thicker.”
The Blue Bath has yet to be optioned for film or television.
Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin’s Press is Waters-Sayer’s editor. They were introduced when St. Martin’s Press was considering buying the book. “The editing process…I find subtracting more painful than adding,” says Waters-Sayer. “A few darlings were definitely sacrificed in the making of this novel, but they were all necessary cuts.”
Susan Golomb is Waters-Sayer’s agent. “I compiled a list of writers whose work I admire, and I queried their agents,” she says. “Susan was at the top of that list.”
Waters-Sayer lives outside of Boston with her family. She was born and raised in New York, but lived twelve years in London.
www.marywaters-sayer.com • Twitter: @MWatersSayer
The Blue Bath by Mary Waters-Sayer. Hardcover: 320 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; Unabridged edition (May 3, 2016). Language: English, ISBN: 9781250088215 $25.99
