Judy Blume: What to Know About Her Upcoming Book 'In the Unlikely Event'
— -- For five years, Judy Blume was hard at work on her upcoming book, "In the Unlikely Event."
On June 2, it'll finally hit bookshelves.
"January 2009 is when the idea first came to me. Nothing has ever come to me in a flash that way. Never ever like this," the author told People magazine. "I would have never believed anybody if they'd told me that was going to happen. I used to read about people who'd say, 'I dream my books and then I write them down.' And I was like, 'Oh, please.' But the idea came to me with characters and plot and structure!"
Based on real-life events, the book focuses on three plane crashes that occurred in Blume's hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the winter of 1951-1952. According to a description of the novel on Amazon, the main character, Miri Ammerman, returns to Elizabeth in 1987 to commemorate the events.
"Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place," the description reads. "Nat King Cole singing 'Unforgettable,' Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on."
Blume, 77, has given other interviews describing the book, her process, and more. Here's what you need to know.
It's only based on real events: "All of the families and all of the characters telling the story are fictional, except for me," she told Harpers Bazaar. "My father was a dentist, very much like Dr. Osner, and he was called in to identify the bodies in the planes three times. He was a very upbeat and beloved guy. All the kids loved him, and all my friends loved him."
She didn't set out to write for grown-ups: Blume told People that she the reason she wrote this story was because it came to her, and seemed exciting. She never intended to write for grown-ups, just as her previous books weren't necessarily just for younger readers. "I'm happy for anybody to read my books because I don't like books being characterized for certain readers," she explained.
The early reviews are pretty good: No, the novel isn't out yet, but some people received advance copies. On Goodreads, 95 people rated the book, giving it an average of about 4 out of 5 stars.
It may be her last book: At 77, Blume is ready to "have some fun," she told People. "I'm not saying I won't write, but the intensity, the long hours, the 7 days a week, it's a lot," she said. "I'm grateful to be done tackling this. I really am. I'm kind of euphoric."
