The author Estella Kuchta discusses her debut novel, Finding the Daydreamer (Elm Books, 2021), with Joseph Planta.

Finding the Daydreamer by Estella Kuchta (Elm Books, 2021). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Finding the Daydreamer

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Estella Kuchta joins me now. In her new novel, Finding the Daydreamer, her debut, she takes us to central British Columbia in the era of the Depression. It’s a pretty rural place, with cowboys and the land all around. The interior of British Columbia is a place where little fiction has been set in heretofore, and Ms. Kuchta takes us to a time and place where attitudes are a little different, though it’s hard to say what’s actually expressed now as then. When this book takes place, not much is shared. The feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and a vast landscape are evoked, which leaves a lot of room for characters in the book to daydream. What they want or long for are often simple, like love. I’ll ask Estella about her central character, our narrator Annabelle, and that which she leaves, and what she seeks. I’ll ask her about the inspiration for her work, as well the research she’s done as to the sort of love stories depicted in Canadian literature. What she found, or perhaps didn’t, might have inspired her own writing. Estella Kuchta is a writer, researcher, and postsecondary instructor here in Vancouver. She earned degrees from the University of British Columbia in creative writing, and literature. Visit www.estellakuchta.com for more information. This new book is published by Elm Books. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Estella Kuchta; Ms. Kuchta, good morning.

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