Check out our interview with Kim van Alkemade, the author of "Upstate."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
In the summer of 2021, my partner and I were entranced by an article in Book Riot titled, “If You Dream of Owning a Bookstore, Here’s Your Chance.” The bookstore that was for sale was located a scenic hour’s drive away from our home, so we thought, why not take a look? The barn full of books was as romantic as you can imagine, but it was learning about the two women who started the bookstore in the 1960s, Barbara Probst and her “longtime companion” Jean Slocum, that made us wish we could carry on their legacy as lesbian entrepreneurs in upstate New York. Although we didn’t end up purchasing the bookstore, the experience was the inspirational spark for my novel, Upstate.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
I think back to reading The Persian Boy by Mary Renault when I was a teenager (I was the kind of kid who read Greek and Roman history for fun). I remember the exhilaration I felt when I realized I was reading about openly queer characters—in this case, Alexander the Great and his lover, Bagoas. I’d never encountered a mainstream novel with queer representation before, let alone as heroic protagonists. Since then, “reading with pride” has meant embracing books in which queer characters are portrayed with authenticity and empathy.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Since I decided to become a novelist, it’s been my mission to write books with lesbian and gay protagonists. I write the kinds of stories I’d be eager to read myself, that show queer desire existing in historical settings and situations. My first novel, Orphan #8, focused on lesbians navigating life in a Jewish orphanage in the 1920s. In my second, Bachelor Girl, I wrote about gay men playing professional baseball and attending drag balls in Jazz Age New York City. My third novel, Counting Lost Stars, showed lesbians standing up to Naziism during World War II in the Netherlands.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
Learning about a rural bookstore founded by lesbians in the 1960s inspired me to think about the experience of women who lived their lives in plain sight in small towns across upstate New York, yet kept their identities and relationships secret. Upstate is about a writer from Manhattan who sets out to revive an abandoned bookstore in a barn in upstate New York, only to discover hidden letters that reveal a secret sapphic love story. The novel explores the fulfilling lives these women led, while also showing the price of living in the closet.
What can fans expect from your book?
Upstate will take you on a journey from isolation and grief to healing and community. Along the way, you’ll get to experience loss, fall in love, fix up an old house, reopen an abandoned bookshop, learn about the diverse history of the Adirondack region, and come to know brave and loving women who are changed when long-buried secrets come to light.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
In addition to being a novelist, I’m also a bookseller at a local independent, and the fourth quarter is our busy time! From now until the end of the year, I’ll be doing weekend events at bookstores from Poughkeepsie to Lake Placid in support of Upstate. At the bookstore where I work, I’ll be helping customers find the perfect book to read themselves or give as a gift.
