Spotlight Series: Ben Gwin

Ben Gwin’s “Inpatient” was pulled from his work-in-progress novel, Clean Time, and published in Issue 12 of Dark Sky Magazine. Here, I talk with Ben about Ronald Reagan, American voyeurism, and finishing a project five years in the making.

So let’s talk about “Inpatient.” I’m especially fascinated with playing around with simulacra/simulation reality TV theme. What was the inspiration for the story?

It’s an excerpt actually from a novel I’m writing called Clean Time. It was also my masters thesis, which won the Best Thesis in Fiction Award at Chatham. I was really happy with that. I worked really hard on it. My main character, Ronald Reagan Middleton, has a drug problem and he winds up in rehab on this reality TV show for a portion of the novel. He meets this girl Althea who he’s laying with in the dirt there. This part was to develop her character specifically and hopefully Ronald Reagan’s as well and, you know, to move the plot ahead, to complicate their relationship because they are about to try to… um, escape from rehab. I wanted to try to have as much conflict in that scene as I could… as far as them trying to communicate. One of the themes of the work is, you know, how we present ourselves… Not just drug addicts, but I guess especially drug addicts… Presenting ourselves one way, you know, putting on a show for people and then you know, really being another way.

The part that is so striking is at the end when you see a real thought of Ronald Reagan’s whereas throughout, he’s just calculating how he represents himself. I assume that’s why you cut the excerpt there?

Yeah, certainly. I try to mess with Ronald Reagan’s thinking. When he does escape, he’s followed and becomes kind of like a pseudo-celebrity and so he has to continue this sort of performance and it weighs on him and eventually he breaks and can’t keep it up. The ability to maintain that and whether or not that affects his being and sense of self.

I also assume that his character name is also a play on representation and persona? What did you have in mind?

Well, it’s a satire. I wanted to say that his parents were wealthy without having to go into it too much. Also I’m fascinated by Ronald Reagan and how he’s loved by so many people. I’m just fascinated by how people view Ronald Reagan in general. I thought that would be a fun name for him to have.

If you had to give the novel a message, what is it? What are you making a commentary on?

I guess the voyeuristic nature of America and contemporary society. I should be able to do this more succinctly….

That was very succinct! The content of the excerpt is drug abuse. Why is it that he ends up there? What’s the commentary?

I mean, there are so many reality television shows full of drug addicts, you know? Intervention, Celebrity Rehab… even something like Hoarders is people on display with mental illness…. Profiting off of their problems, posing as “we’re trying to help these people and if we make millions of dollars, it’s a happy side effect” [laughs] The subject of addiction is a complicated one. If you were to tell someone that your teenage daughter is drug addicted… half the people you talk to would say to do whatever you can to help her and the other half would say to just kick her out and let her figure it out herself. It’s complicated I think. I’ve had people close to me deal with that.

You said you wanted to imply that Ronald Reagan comes from wealth. Are you saying something about wealth and particular behavior?

I guess I’m poking fun at the idea that being privileged leads to this. That ‘I have it so bad because I’m rich’ kind of thing. I don’t know, I think it’s harder to be poor. [laughs]

Where are you now with the novel?

I have 400 pages and the first 125 were for my thesis. Right now I’m in the last read through of line editing… which has been very tedious. Then I’ll get it sent out to an agent. Hopefully it turns from a really great homework assignment to a real book. That’d be wonderful. It’s incredibly close to finished and I can’t wait to be done with it and start something else.

How many years in the making?

About five at this point. It really took a new shape and direction when I got into grad school. Sherrie Flick, Derek Green and Mark Nieson really helped me a lot, they showed great interest and have been very supportive and helpful and are still working with me even though I’ve graduated even though they have very little time.

You’re writing satire that’s timely and topical. What are some themes that you’d like to deal with in the future?

[laughs] Yeah I’d like to finish it while it’s still topical. I want to do something a little more straight forward and literary. I mean, I hope that my work is considered literary when it’s finished… I have an idea for a story that’s set in Johnstown. I have a guy that works at one of the turnpike restaurant and it involves some kind of pyramid scheme. I know that’s a bit vague…