The Mythmakers

Introduction

In The Mythmakers, a young journalist living in Brooklyn discovers that a posthumously published short story is based on the brief encounter she had with the story’s older author at a party. Desperate to leave her crumbling life behind after getting fired from her journalist job and fighting with her boyfriend, she decides to find the late author’s widow—leading to an entanglement with the family and friends the author left behind.

The Mythmakers, a layered book full of shifting perspectives and commentary on truth and betrayal, is a story about finding oneself and how inspiration strikes in the most unlikely of places.

Topics and Questions for Discussion

1. Sal says, “Biography is important. . . . The translation of life into art” (p. 50). Think about the role of a biographer and the role of a journalist. When translating the subject’s life into art, must the biographer and journalist be wholly respectful of their subject, even at the risk of sacrificing the truth?

2. Sal embarks on the quest to find the rest of the manuscript after reading a short story she thinks Martin Keller wrote about her. Portrayed in a flattering light, the woman in the story is described as the author’s “Dark Lady of the Sonnets.” Imagine he portrayed Sal negatively, depicting her ambitiousness as greedy opportunism, her wisdom as arrogance. Do you think Sal would still take the trip to find the rest of the manuscript?

3. Before Sal and Hugh fight during the party, Sal wants to tell him “[he] sold out” (p. 26). During the fight, Sal blows up at Hugh, telling him he’s “not who [she] signed up for.” Think about the first moment, when Sal wanted to tell Hugh how she felt and instead bottled it in. Do you think she was right to keep that comment to herself? Did her staying silent cause her to blow up at Hugh later?

4. The Mythmakers is narrated with a shifting point of view, moving from Sal’s first-person POV to other characters’ close third-person perspective. How does this influence the narrative drive of the story? Do you feel closer to any character because of these shifting POVs?

5. There are multiple references to fate in the book, including Moira’s thought that “each moment was predestined.” What are some instances of fate in the book? How does thinking about the characters’ meeting as fate influence their stories? Do they have more, or less, agency over their choices?

6. As a young woman working at NASA, Moira is sexually harassed by a colleague. How does this influence the trajectory of her career and passions? If this happened today, do you think the outcome would be the same?

7. Imagine that Sal didn’t find Martin’s short story and go visit his widow. What would her life look like without meeting Moira and remaining at home with Hugh? Would she have followed Hugh’s path and “sold out” too?

8. When Sal reaches out to Martin and Moira’s daughter, Caroline, to get more information about Martin’s life, Caroline tells Sal that she thinks what she is doing is predatory (p. 130). Do you think the journalist’s job is inherently predatory or exploitative? Is the journalist more accountable to the public or to their subject?

9. Think of the shifting perspectives of Sal, Moira, and Martin. Would you add or take away any perspective? How would the story change with the introduction of Hugh’s perspective?

10. When Caroline proposes going to California so that she can have a better shot at fulfilling her dream, her girlfriend Julie tries to convince her to stay. Julie tells Caroline that she’s “no good at auditions” but also calls her a “beautiful musician.” Compare Caroline’s life to that of her mother’s. Do you recognize similarities in how others talked them into or out of pursuing their dreams?

11. The Mythmakers sparks conversation regarding perspective and memory. With memory, one can choose to memorialize the dead and respect their legacy. Does Martin’s family respect his legacy? Does respecting someone’s legacy mean telling the truth, in all its complicated forms, in order to paint a nuanced portrait of a person?

12. In the epilogue, Sal mentions that the Playwright’s whereabouts are currently unknown, but that “he is probably doing just fine” (p. 347). Do you agree? Why do you think the Playwright went through so many great lengths to fabricate so much about his life? Why do you think Sal thinks he’s doing just fine?

13. Think about the role of secrets in the book and secrets in life generally. Many people, including many characters in the story, have an inner life that may contradict the persona that they portray to the outside world. At what point do secrets that people keep about themselves—secrets that are not yet actions, but simply thoughts—become lies? How much truth do we owe another person?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Write a short story about a person in your book club!

2. There are references to various authors and books that have influenced the writers in this story. Pick one of those books for your next book club pick! Some ideas include: The Wife by Meg Wolitzer or Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

3. The summer Sal and Georgia moved to Brooklyn, the Neue Galerie “was a frequent haunt” for them. Visit the gallery known for its German and Austrian art from the early twentieth century! Find more information at https://www.neuegalerie.org/visit.

4. Keziah Weir is a senior editor at Vanity Fair. Check out her work at https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/keziah-weir.