A conversation with
ERIKA ROBUCK Your previous novels are about American literary figures. What inspired you to write The Invisible Woman? How did you find Virginia Hall? I don’t want to get too fanciful, but I believe my subjects find me. I try to “write what I know” as much as possible. This means I’m always looking for extraordinary people from the past who come from places familiar to me, or to whom I feel a personal connection for one reason or another. Virginia was a fellow Marylander. The places she grew up and went to school, the waterways and hiking trails she frequented, her workplace and retirement sanctuary are all familiar to me. I understand the soil where she was grown. On the practical side, when I was working on another wife-of-famous-male-writer book, an editor said, “Why not write about a woman who is special in her own right?” That stopped me in my tracks. Around that time, Virginia entered my radar in a way I can’t pinpoint, and she’s been haunting me ever since. Virginia is not only a remarkable woman from history who grew up on my stomping grounds, but she is so extraordinary— in her own right—she could launch a subgenre of husband-of-famous-woman books.
Finding information about a subject engaged in clandestine work for most of her life must have been a challenge. How did you go about doing the research? It was a challenge, and Virginia was as elusive in death as she was in life. My research process begins with inspiration and trying to walk in the footsteps of my
Author photo © Catsh Photography LLC
subjects whenever possible. With three school-age sons, getting to France in person was not feasible. I’m thankful for YouTube, Google Maps, and my treadmill, which allows me to virtually walk, run, and hike all over the world. The family land where Virginia spent her childhood summers, Box Horn Farm, is in Parkton, Maryland, north of Baltimore. The property has been sold and parceled, and the house razed, but I was able to find the approximate location of it using old land surveys. I spent many hours meandering along the trails where Virginia used to hunt, and I found the stream where she swam and canoed. Virginia’s niece, Lorna Catling, is a treasure. She welcomed me into her Baltimore home— not far from where Virginia attended school—and shared boxes of photographs and artifacts with me. Over many lunches, Lorna regaled me with tales of her formidable “Aunt Dindy.” I’m happy to call Lorna a friend. The home where Virginia and Paul lived while she was in the CIA and until their deaths is located in Barnesville, Maryland. The current owners of the house were kind enough to not only answer my strange letter asking questions about the property, but even invite me there to explore the beautiful château-style home, the kennels, and the grounds. I could feel Virginia there with me every step of the way, and even snapped a picture near the kennels that housed her French poodles that has a significant orb. I applied as a researcher to visit the museum at the CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, and was thrilled to be granted access. Several officers escorted me through the exhibits, featuring artifacts from the OSS (including Virginia’s Distinguished Service Cross, her passport, and a wireless transceiver), tricks of the trade (including those rat “letterboxes”), and finally that gorgeous painting by Jeffrey W. Bass. The experience was a true honor. The National Archives in College Park, Maryland, have comprehensive files on Virginia Hall and the OSS in general, and I was able to read Virginia’s reports on her war activities, her evaluations, and the letters associated with her Distinguished Service Cross. Once I’m back at my desk, I read everything I can get my hands on—biographies, letters,
articles, etc. I included many of the most helpful works in the selected bibliography. The most recent biography, A Woman of No Importance, wasn’t published until I’d already written my novel, but I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. The book that most informed my characterization of Virginia and the time and place I decided to set the novel was a French book, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon sous l’occupation: Les résistances locales, l’aide interalliée, l’action de Virginia Hall (O.S.S.), by Pierre “Simon” Fayol. Because my French is very poor, I had to painstakingly type the text into Google. Though I’m sure much was lost in the translation, the obvious tension of Virginia’s interactions with the Maquis of the Haute-Loire and the detailed coverage of Maquis operations in that region were invaluable to my understanding of Virginia’s role there. Once Penguin acquired my novel, I finally made the drive to Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland, where Virginia is buried. There’s a family plot with a large stone labeled Hall, but Virginia’s modest grave is next to her dear husband’s and labeled, simply, Virginia H. Goillot. With no special plaque or marker, Virginia Hall, the secret agent, remains invisible.
What particular challenges did you face when writing the novel and, specifically, about a woman as complicated as Virginia Hall? The hardest feedback to receive—and I got it from several people—and execute while remaining faithful to the character was that I needed to make Virginia more likable. When I asked Lorna to describe her aunt, Lorna said Virginia was “intimidating and scary-smart.” Virginia’s landing partner on her third mission, Aramis, did not think highly of Virginia because of how she cut him off from the network. Pierre “Simon” Fayol had a contentious relationship with her. Quite frankly, no one ever described Virginia as “likable.” The fact remains, however, because this is a novel, the protagonist has to be someone the reader aligns with, sympathizes with, and wishes to succeed. My editor, Amanda Bergeron, brilliantly suggested giving the reader a look at young Virginia in a prologue. This would serve to show not only Virginia before the war and all its losses—not only before the amputation—but also the early days of Virginia’s love affair with Paris. I think
I needed to explore the question:
WHY DID VIRGINIA RETURN TO OCCUPIED FRANCE WITH A PRICE ON HER HEAD?
this ended up being the perfect introduction to a complicated woman and, with the epilogue, helped to frame the book in a satisfying way.
Virginia had three missions in World War II Europe. How did you choose this time period? This novel was the most difficult and unruly book I’ve ever written, and there were many, many drafts and restarts. (I can almost see Virginia smirking at me with an “of course, what did you expect?” look on her face.)
In the first version, I wove Virginia’s story with that of a fictional female Iraq War veteran and amputee who inherits the property at Box Horn Farm without knowing to whom it used to belong. It soon became clear to me that Virginia’s story was too big to be half of a multiperiod novel. I started over and began writing Virginia’s story woven into the stories of Vera Atkins and another female SOE agent. After about a hundred pages, I felt Virginia’s impatience. “Focus!” she seemed to say. “This is about me.” So, I started over at the beginning of the war, when Virginia was in the French ambulance service, and then wrote through her first mission in Lyon, with the Pyrenees crossing at the climax. After I completed that, I realized it was all background for the story I needed to tell: the second mission. I needed to explore the question: Why did Virginia return to occupied France with a price on her head? I believe Virginia needed me to work out her survivor guilt and PTS. She wanted recognition for and redemption of the everyday people of France and those from her networks, and justice for the betrayer. It was time to reveal the stories of the people of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, their care for Jewish refugees, the coordinated Allied and Resistance effort to liberate the region, the beginning of the restoration of France, and Virginia’s own identity. It took me a long time to understand, but once I finally did, it was as if a missing lightbulb in a string was found and replaced, and the whole circuit came to life.
The novel largely deals with war. Why did you choose to include the early days of Virginia and Paul’s love story? First, I included it because it was true. Also, it overlapped with the end of Virginia’s mission and provided such relief from the intensity and isolation that it gave Virginia—and by extension, the reader—space to exhale at the end of a very dark journey. Finally, in our interviews, Lorna always came back to their love story. Lorna had great affection for Uncle Paul and felt he was a softening force in Virginia’s life—a true complement to her aunt. I wanted to honor him and the love he and Virginia shared.
When you wrote about Ernest Hemingway in Hemingway’s Girl and Zelda Fitzgerald in Call Me Zelda, there was suddenly a boom in books on the subjects. Now Virginia Hall—and female spies of World War II in general—seems to have taken hold in other works of fiction and nonfiction, and in film. What do you make of this phenomenon? I believe in the power of the collective unconscious, the interconnectedness of all of us through space and time. I believe these people from the past—these real people—reach out to us for recognition. Like ghosts, some seem unsettled and need redemption. Artists tuned into that space seem to pick up on the same frequencies. It’s a beautiful thing.
What might we expect to see from you next? I’ll continue to write stories about women so remarkable on their own they could launch a subgenre of husband-of-famous-woman books.
I believe these people from the past—these real people— reach out to us for recognition.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What most moved you reading The Invisible Woman? Which character will stay with you the longest? 2. Identity is a central theme in The Invisible Woman. Discuss how Virginia changes as she moves through each part of her journey—from Artemis to Diane to la Madone to Virginia. 3. Virginia’s life would have been extraordinary on its own, but adding the fact that she had a prosthetic leg takes it to another level. Discuss what most struck you about her condition and how it made her more vulnerable in some ways and stronger in others. 4. In wartime, to advance their causes, soldiers, spies, and resistors sometimes engage in unsavory practices or behaviors that would be considered immoral under normal circumstances. Which of Virginia’s or her associates’ actions disturbed you? Did the ends justify the means? 5. Even decades after the war, Virginia Hall would not grant interviews. Not only was she still operative in the CIA, but she said she’d seen too many people die for talking. Similarly, the villagers of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, did not wish for any special recognition. They thought they were simply doing their Christian duty. Discuss whether you think Virginia and the villagers would give their blessing to this book and other works about their contributions to the war. 6. In Robuck’s research on Virginia’s personality changes over the years, and in speaking with veterans of war, post-traumatic stress rose as a central theme. Though contemporary understanding has greatly evolved since Virginia’s time, it’s still a major problem. Discuss how PTS—its effects and instances of healing—is shown in the novel.
7. What roles do the statue of Our Lady of Le Puy and references to la Madone play in the novel? Why do you think Robuck included them? 8. The women in the novel are very different from one another, but all show their own kinds of strength. Discuss the women most important to the story and how they contributed to the Resistance in their own ways. 9. At the beginning of the novel, reinforcing SOE/OSS training, Vera Atkins directs Virginia not to get attached to those in her network. How does Virginia obey and disobey this order? How does this help and hinder her efforts on both a personal and a global level? 10. What will you take away from having read The Invisible Woman? What aspects will resonate and linger for you?
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST My teenage sons inspired me to create a Spotify playlist for The Invisible Woman. When I described the book (sabotage, war, the isolation of the spy behind enemy lines…) to them, they started piping off contemporary songs to include. That reminded me of my fascination with how directors Sofia Coppola (Marie Antoinette, 2006) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby, 2013) use contemporary music in historically set films. While somewhat jarring, it’s an interesting bridge between the time periods and helps make old stories relevant to modern audiences. I couldn’t leave out some of the World War II and French songs either mentioned in the book or popular at the time it was set. Finally, I always listened to the classical beauty “Clair de Lune”—by the glow of the little moon light on my desk—while writing drop scenes. That song, more than any other, will forever remind me of Virginia Hall and the men and women of her networks. Click or type in this URL to view the playlist. What do you think of the songs?
https://spoti.fi/382OyfP