Describe the evolution of Bary’s book, which she wrote in 1995.

Bary retired from a teaching career at about age fifty to become a writer. She lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the time, and took advantage of several writing courses offered there. Over the next few years she wrote numerous essays and articles as part of the learning process; none of those were published. She then moved on to writing articles for magazines which resulted in many nicely worded rejection letters, the kind that most new writers receive. During this time she also wrote two book-length pieces which were not intended for publication, although one was reviewed by an editor at the publishing firm W.W. Norton & Company. Her work on the book Margaret followed, and her intention was to follow this through to publication. The first version was completed and reviewed by an editor friend. She said it was a great story, but needed much work to bring it to publication form. Bary had every intention of doing this, but unfortunately a serious illness intervened, and she was not able to finish the book. She died in 2000. A single paper copy of Margaret remained in a file drawer for twenty years, and was finally retrieved by me, her husband, who completed the task that she had planned.

Margaret, the main character, is an introspective, open-minded woman with so much love for her family. Was Bary the same? Please describe her.

Yes, Bary, like Margaret, was introspective and open-minded. She had deep concerns about problems facing the world, such as human and animal welfare, the environment, and war. Her love for her three children and other family members was absolute. She had many friends—not just acquaintances, but true friends. These aspects she shared with Margaret. Another similarity was that Bary managed fund-raising events for a nonprofit organization. Unlike Margaret, Bary managed to fulfill family obligations along with a career in teaching. She also loved to travel and did that extensively in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. 

When you unearthed the manuscript, it was unfinished and you took on the task of preparing it for publication. You are a published writer yourself – did you find it difficult to maintain Bary’s voice and not revert to your own voice?

Completing the written work of another writer is a challenge. I spent several months fumbling with this, and then talked with a friend, an experienced writer, who suggested that I study Bary’s writing to get an understanding of “her voice.” That was a new term to me, but his suggestion helped immensely. I started the project again, concentrating on the idea of leaving behind my concept of how to express ideas, leaving behind “my voice.” 

One page in her manuscript said “chapter missing”. In reading the following chapters, it became obvious that the missing chapter described events that were important to the rest of the book. It was a true challenge to write that missing chapter. It would be interesting to know if readers can spot which one it is. 

I hope the result is that Margaret received the polish it needed and Bary had intended, and that the book is still in Bary’s voice.

The story is set in 1990, and one of Margaret’s sons is gay. Now, more than 30 years on, attitudes towards and acceptance of people of differing sexual orientations have changed considerably. Did you consider updating the story to reflect this?

No, I think it is important to keep the 1990 setting and to recall typical attitudes at that time toward gay people. The reader hopefully recognizes the change that has occurred over the last thirty years.

Part of the story is based on a similar tragedy in Castine’s history. Describe the similarities.

In 1935, Robert Ames and his two sons, Richard and Henry, participated in an ocean sailboat race. In a storm Robert was swept overboard and both sons dove after him in an attempt to save him. All three were lost. This event is referred to in Chapter 1 of Margaret. The book that Sylvia gives to Margaret in Chapter 46 is a real book and was written by the widow of Robert Ames after that tragedy.