How well do we really know our parents? Our past? Our own memories? These are just a few of the questions Andrew Porter, professor of English and director of the creative writing program, explores in his new novel, “The Imagined Life.”
Set in California, “The Imagined Life” tells the story of a man, Steven Mills, on a quest to find out what happened to his father who went missing when he was a child. The story is told in both the present and the past, as Steven tries to piece together the truth. Though the central premise of the novel is a mystery, Porter emphasized the importance of looking beyond that to see the greater themes and ideas expressed through the narrative.
“It’s a father-son story. It’s a mother-son story. And it’s a story about kind of coming to terms with the past and accepting in some ways that we can never fully understand our parents,” Porter said. “But it’s also about a lot of other fun stuff.”
The Californian setting of the novel is important not only within the work itself, but in its creation as well. Porter began working on the novel while quarantined during COVID, and this story allowed him to escape from his isolated reality.
“This book is … sort of my love letter to California. During COVID, like everybody else, I felt really isolated and … I was separated from my family who live in California and have lived there for a long time,” Porter said. “I knew that if I picked this book, I would be able to go to California for a few hours every day in my imagination. And more than that, because part of it is set in the 80s, I’d be able to go back to kind of a simpler time in my own life.”
Though the journey to publishing “The Imagined Life” began in isolation, it ended in company. Students, faculty and many others in and outside of the Trinity community came to celebrate Porter at his book launch which was held at Trinity on April 15. During the event, Porter discussed his book and read it aloud for the first time. The event was followed by a reception and book signing.
Kelly Grey Carlisle, fellow professor of English, introduced Porter at the event. Carlisle spoke about her own appreciation for Porter as a writer, colleague and teacher.
“Andrew is truly one of the best things about this university,” Carlisle said. “Those of you who are his students know what a gifted teacher he is and what a thoughtful and generous mentor he is to other writers.”
Julian Dupertuis, first-year undecided major, was one of those students at the event. He is currently taking Porter’s fiction writing course and expressed similar sentiments to Carlisle.
“I read ‘The Disappeared’ for my FYE last semester. And it’s the reason I wanted to take his fiction writing class in the first place because I really enjoyed the stories,” Dupertuis said. “His ideas are always just so thought-provoking, and the stories are always really well put together.”
“The Disappeared” is one of three books Porter has published. His other works include the short story collection “The Theory of Light and Matter” and the novel “In Between Days.” Carlisle, who has attended Porter’s previous book launches, spoke about why she finds them special.
“This is my third Andrew Porter book launch during my time at Trinity, and I love them so much because I feel like it’s a time when we get to share our Andrew with the rest of the world,” Carlisle said. “[But] it’s more like the world shares its Andrew Porter with us.”
