San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
‘The Lioness’ goes on a scary safari
Chris Bohjalian’s new novel combines Hollywood glitz and danger in the Serengeti
Chris Bohjalian’s new book “The Lioness” was inspired by Hollywood movies, history and a safari. “This novel was born in a movie theater,” says Bohjalian, a bestselling author of over 20 books. “I had just seen a matinee and emerged into a cobalt summer sky and thought to myself, ‘Why in the world have I never written a Hollywood novel? I love movies.’ I had a sense right away that the story would be set in one of film’s golden ages — i.e., the early 1960s — which brought me to that expression: the lions of Hollywood.”
He adds: “I considered calling the novel ‘The Lions of Hollywood.’ That’s what the Hollywood characters who go on the safari christen themselves before leaving California for the Serengeti. However, I feared that would give readers the mistaken impression that the story is about Hollywood producers from the early days. ... That’s not what the book is about. It’s a historical thriller set in the Serengeti with lots of flashbacks to the characters’ ‘safe’ lives in California. I love how some people have called it ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid meets ‘Jurassic Park’ by Michael Crichton.”
“The Lioness” tells the story of a 1960s luxurious African safari that turns deadly for a Hollywood star and her entourage, says Bohjalian, whose novels have been translated into 35 languages and have become three movies and an Emmy-nominated TV series. He’ll be the keynote speaker at a May 16 luncheon fundraiser for Words Alive, a local nonprofit literacy advocate.
Q:
Who are your main characters, Katie Barstow and David Hill?
A:
Katie Barstow is Hollywood’s biggest star in 1964 — imagine Natalie Wood. Her husband, David Hill, is a childhood friend from Manhattan who now owns a gallery in Beverly Hills. It feels like a good match for Katie. David has been in her life forever and isn’t another actor who might be threatened by her success.
Q:
What intrigued you about taking Hollywood stars out of their element and putting them on a safari?
A:
When my books work — and heaven knows they don’t always work — dread is what keeps you turning the pages. I always want my readers walking a tightrope between heartbreak and hope.
Q:
Do you consider Africa a character?
A:
Yes. Place is a character in all my books, whether they are set in Vermont or Vietnam or Syria or Italy. To paraphrase Ralph Ellison, “If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are.”
Q:
Who’s more dangerous, humans or wildlife?
A:
They both can be pretty lethal. The difference? Lions and leopards are just being lions and leopards. The people who are dangerous are, usually, needlessly cruel.
Q:
Please talk about interviewing your safari guides for your research.
A:
They were so patient with me. At first, they thought I was seriously macabre because I was constantly asking them about whether this or that plant could kill you, how different animals attacked, and to tell me the stupidest things they had ever seen guests do.
They were incredible raconteurs and spectacularly knowledgeable. I loved them as professors and storytellers. I loved their love for the wildlife, from the tiniest dung beetle or bird to the most gargantuan hippos, and how being in the Serengeti never grew tiresome for them.
Most of the animal scenes in the novel that do not involve them devouring humans are things I witnessed, such as the lioness with her cubs or the mother elephant herding her little one in front of the cameras with something like pride.
Q:
When you went on your safari (before the pandemic), what did you like best?
A:
My favorite moment? We were fortunate and got to see the massive crossing of the Mara River by great herds of wildebeest and zebra, all hoping to get across the water before a crocodile pulled them under or a lioness sprung from the grass just when they thought they had made it.
Q:
What’s the difference between writing a novel versus adapting your previous novel, “Midwives,” into a play?
A:
I’m first and foremost a novelist, but I’ve discovered over the last five years that I love playwriting and screenwriting. Each kind of writing demands a different approach. A play is all about dialogue; a movie or TV series depends on imagery. A novel often hinges upon deep dives into a character’s mind, with lengthy internal monologues.