Our sincerest apologies to Homer, but we’re hard-pressed to think of a more gripping odyssey than the one in Nikki Ervice’s Roadshow. The novel centers on Annie — a burlesque dancer who performs in a mask of her childhood dog — struggling to make rent in NYC. Then an unexpected letter arrives: Her mother, who abandoned her as a baby, is dying and wants to meet. So Annie sets off on a cross-country road trip to the remote Alaskan island where she was born, stripping in seedy clubs along the way to fund her travels… and stealing gas when her bank account dips too low.
The journey is treacherous (picture wildfires, bad decisions, unsavory characters, and a bachelor party more dangerous than all of the above), but Annie presses on, racing to reach her estranged mother before it's too late. We chatted with Ervice about what she’s reading and the condiment she’d take to a deserted island.
What’s a corner of the internet you recently discovered?
Maybe it’s because I wrote about a woman who dances in a papier-mâché mask, but I’ve recently encountered a lot of puppeteers who work on a large scale and artists who make giant wearable heads out of papier-mâché. They’re incredible.
What's your favorite unapologetic indulgence?
Mayonnaise. I use so much, especially on sandwiches. It’s a little gross. Duke’s is the best.
What’s the last social media post you sent to your friends?
Heidi Klum in her severed-hand Halloween costume screaming “HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE.” It’s very good.
What’s the last thing you read that you can’t stop thinking about?
Katie Kitamura’s Intimacies. I don’t know how she works her magic. The book follows a translator at The Hague. I would say more but I wouldn’t do it justice.
What should be required reading for every human being?
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. These days people like to say we don’t owe one another anything, and this book pleads the opposite.
What’s one thing you can’t stop listening to?
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score and Stravinsky’s score for A Soldier’s Tale, only because I’m choreographing for both shows.
What’s the one thing you can't leave the house without?
Aquaphor. I can’t stand when my lips are dry — it ruins my day.
What’s one thing that makes you laugh without fail?
One of my dogs lays down by simply collapsing to the floor in this abrupt, narcoleptic way. It is always funny.
What's one unpopular opinion you have?
People say not to use the word “very” in writing as it is a “weak word,” but I disagree. A good “very” goes a long way when used strategically.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one thing, what would it be?
Smoked salmon on sourdough toast… with mayonnaise.
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