Lionel Shriver's Talk at Deakin Edge, Melbourne

I had one mission today - after having acquired tickets to Lionel Shriver's talk at Deakin Edge in Federation Square, Melbourne, I was to find some accompaniment. Luckily enough, I found my mother, who was willing to attend any event surrounding literature, as strangers inside the building in which this event was held were sure to be more civilised, and far more human than her in-laws.

We made it to the city without getting caught in too much traffic, and found the Deakin Edge building, tucked into the heart of Federation Square. Alas, we were greeted with a long line of excited enjoyers of Shriver's books, and we managed to blend ourselves within them, despite our very urban clothing. It was not much of a wait, and soon we found ourselves entering the building, which appeared to look like a gigantic lecture theatre. Before I went down the stairs to be seated, I scurried on to the little bookstore set up in the side of the entrance room, and purchased Shriver's newest addition to her works, Big Brother. My mother and I then hurried, withholding as much class as possible when one is rushing, back to the line which was bustling down the lecture theatre steps. 

Being the socially unprepared person that I am, I found the best seat in the theatre at the back, and being the anal person no longer afraid to take any risks that my mother is, she forced me to the front of the theatre, where two seats waited in the first row, exactly in front of the stage where Shriver was due to stand and speak. Beside me sat a dainty but tall old chap who was seated beside his wife, his right hand rested on his thigh implying their intimacy toward one another, or his unrequited love towards her. And to my right was my mother, restless, taking moments to remove her jacket and reposition herself and asked me questions, and focused on the architecture around us. It appeared she was more excited than I was, not just for Shriver but for the fact that we were sharing a literary experience together without the impatience of my sister and father. 

After a rather cheerful radio presenter revealed to us that she had read Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin on her very own honeymoon, Shriver finally took to the stage and saturated the audience with her take on Big Brother, about the very sad story of the passing of her own big brother due to obesity issues, and then read to us a large passage from around halfway through the book. I have not yet read the book, but from the passage read to me by Shriver and by the way she spoke of it in context aligned with her personal experiences with matters such as obesity and the obsession food, I have fallen in love with it already. Shriver has made it so appealing that I might not read it yet still recommend it, just because it indeed shows us an aspect of society that is "talked about to death".

She spoke about obesity in a soft manner, keeping in mind that she had me, the only overweight person in the room sitting right in front of her. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat a few times, which she noticed, because she touched on things too close to my heart and my experiences. Yet she was still rather consoling with her words. My mother told me that whilst I was taking notes, Shriver would slow her speech and repeat things just so she made sure that I had the chance to write them down. I had not noticed this because I was too busy trying to take in key lines, and remember them long enough to write them down and keep in mind the other key lines being said in the meanwhile. Mind you, there were a lot, and I was ever so grateful to have attended, despite being faced with touchy issues.

Amongst the touchy issue of obesity, though, was a huge sense of humour that was emitting from Shriver herself. She spoke of how, despite the horrid show Big Brother, she named her book the same thing, saying that she did so to bring the original 'big brother' back to its "first principle", which originated from George Orwell, and that it contained a pun in itself to do with the story, a big brother. She mentioned how strange it is that some journalists are obsessed with her own dieting, and the irony contained within that and Big Brother, that society is too concerned with weight and image, and society's response is to question hers. It reached an extent, she said, that while she was in her favorite hotel in London, drinking her favorite tea which came with delicious biscuits, journalists commented on whether or not she would consume those biscuits, and focussed on her exercise routine and daily consumption rather than the book itself. 

I could not think of a question to ask her when she allowed the audience to interview her. I listened as members of the audience forced their opinions of the characters contained within the book at Shriver and how they almost expected her to agree with them despite her utter knowledge of each character and the importance of each, even when one audience member attempted to highlight that there was no need for the main character, who was the narrator of the story itself - I felt that even though I had not read the book, I was knowledgeable enough about it from Shriver's perspective. That certain question was pointless. And, like always, I thought of the perfect question when it was too late.

But I found that it was not late at all, for she was waiting in the entrance room signing her book. I stood in the line, which was not at all long, and waited excitedly. When I reached her, I greeted her with a little, "hello", to which she replied the same thing. I thanked her for her insightful speech, and I asked if I could ask my late question, seeing as I conjured it after it was too late, and she told me it was perfectly fine. "Have you ever been a victim of procrastination, and if so, how do you conquer it?" "Oh, yes! Everyone is a victim of procrastination," she answered, and not necessarily authors alone. She said that the main thing is to not feel "ceremonious" towards your writing, rather feel ceremonious with the outcome. I agreed. It was all something I had known, but it feels better to hear it from a published author's perspective, so that maybe she will inspire me to begin writing. "Just begin."

Just as I thanked her, my mother asked her if she could photograph me with her. Shriver said "of course". The photo above is the outcome, and yes, Shriver appears to be sleeping. That is because the off-chance that one blinks in the photograph decided to happen tonight, especially considering I look decent in the photo for once. I thanked her for the photo opportunity. "You're welcome. That was an interesting question!" Thank you, Shriver, that was an interesting talk.