PW Talks with Louise Erdrich

LE: I thought about Father Damien writing those letters to the pope and never getting an answer. The first chapter was about his wistfulness, reaching for answers. I, too, was wishing for an answer in some ways. Why do these characters keep coming back to me in dreams? I dreamed about a woman obsessed with playing Chopin, and suddenly she became related to Father Damien-then she became Father Damien. In my unconscious mind, nothing seems totally disconnected.