Ph.D. in educational psychology; before writing novels, she was an educator and researcher who published frequently, particularly focusing on how students learn to read.
Like the main character in her debut novel The Probable Son, Jiban has taught in middle schools and is raising two sons. She was born and raised in the Seattle area but has now lived with her family in St. Paul for over twenty years.
Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Jiban's reply:
I’m currently drawn to debut novels. The path to publishing is a roller coaster ride, one that’s hard to convey to people not buckled into that terrifyingVisit Cindy Jiban's website.front car. Reading a debut right now feels like making a new friend.
A fast and weird and delightful debut I loved is My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithewaite. You know that feeling when your sister calls to say oops, I did it again – and he’s dead? Yeah, me neither. I tore through this tale in one sitting, completely bemused by the style of storytelling. Sparse and dryly funny, it’s a line drawing that gradually reveals its odd caption.
Right now I’m reading The Bright Years, a debut by Sarah Damoff. Forewarned, I keep tissues on hand for this multi-generational Texas saga of family secrets and addiction. What stands out so far: Damoff has an uncanny skill at focusing point of view on a simpledetail, to great emotional effect. Just read the opening chapter, and you’ll see what I mean.
Up next for me is The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden’s debut novel. Two women, initially strangers, find themselves sharing a house in the Dutch countryside in 1961, with the post- WWII vibe not quite over and done with. Does anyone else choose movies based on Rotten Tomatoes, searching out very-fresh tomato ratings from both the critics and the ticket-buying audiences? This book is like that: it has earned both prestigious literary awards and a wide fan base of regular old readers. I’m in.
My Book, The Movie: The Probable Son.
Q&A with Cindy Jiban.
--Marshal Zeringue
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