Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Gossamer

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Gossamer

As a child, Lois Lowry moved with her family all over the world (her father was an army dentist) - as a result, strong family ties and the leaving behind of people and places are central themes to much of her work. 

When asked about the inspiration for Gossamer she replies, "I'm so interested, always, in how the bits and pieces of our lives go together, how they form a narrative, and how important they are to us. My son died when his little girl was not yet two. She's twelve now, and she asks me often, ‘Tell me stories about my dad when he was little.' She giggles at the when-your-dad-was-naughty stories. But she knows intuitively that the narrative of his life is also a valuable part of her own."

She says that she identifies most with the character known simply as "the woman" but finds Littlest the most interesting because, "Littlest reminds me of my own small grandchildren, and of all little ones whose heads are so full of thoughts, and who are so curious and intent on figuring out their place in the world."

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This "beyond the book article" relates to Gossamer. It originally ran in May 2006 and has been updated for the January 2008 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

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