Rachel Beanland | The Half Life | A Navy Island, a Young Bride, and Something in the Water

Episode 58 | She married into a life she never chose. Then she started asking questions. Eileen O’Malley’s brother Lenny is killed in Vietnam while she’s a sophomore in college. Overnight her life changes. She drops out, moves home to Charleston, and takes a job in the men’s department of a local shop to help pay the bills. Then a handsome naval officer asks her advice about a pair of trousers. Next thing she knows, she’s a young bride on La Maddalena, a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Sardinia where the US Navy keeps its submarines. When Italian activists, nuclear scientists and a handsome journalist start warning her about contamination in the water, Eileen has to question everything she thought she knew. Rachel Beanland’s third novel is a coming of age story about a young woman working out who she is inside a marriage, a military community, and a country, all three of which expect her to toe the line. In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, Rachel talks about the childhood years she spent on La Maddalena, the 2019 return visit that sparked the book, and her mother’s detailed letters home that gave her the 1970s period detail. We talk about the island as a locked room, Eileen’s retrospective second person narration, the dual meaning of the title, and the research she did with Navy veterans and their wives. Rachel Beanland is also the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever, which won the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction, and The House Is on Fire. More episodes and writing at elenameetstheauthor.com. Books mentioned in this episode The Half Life by Rachel Beanland US Links support independent bookshops. As a Bookshop.org affiliate, the show earns a small commission on any sale. #podcast #books #authors #writingcommunity #bookstagram #rachelbeanland #thehalflife #historicalfiction #literaryfiction #bookpodcast #authorsofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #comingofage #newbooks 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 01:04 Meet Rachel Beanland 02:59 La Maddalena Origins 06:48 Why the 1970s 10:33 Navy Wives Community 13:48 Isolation and Research 17:02 Soap Opera Letter Clubs 22:20 Second Person Narration 26:33 Outlining and True Events 28:20 Bending The Timeline 30:08 Why Historical Fiction 35:07 Balancing Facts And Drama 38:59 Meaning Of The Half Life 40:56 Mary Magdalene Parallels 43:21 Travel Tips La Maddalena 45:07 Wrap Up And Final Pitch