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On Oct. 21, debut author Sam Sussman visited Porter Square Books to discuss his novel “Boy from the North Country” in conversation with essayist, critic, and scholar Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon.

Sussman spoke about the nature of relationships, loss, and grief, touching on how his own possible descent from singer-songwriter Bob Dylan informed his understanding of the role and identity of art.

The semi-autobiographical novel follows the mother-son relationship of June and Evan, with Evan caring for his mother as her health declines. As Evan learns many hidden truths about June — such as those concerning her relationship with Dylan before he was born, another autobiographical plot point — over this time, and experiences loss, love, and grief, he comes to realize how truly lucky he is to have a mother like her.

“In a way, it’s sort of a dual origin story. It’s the origin story of the character drawn from my life, who I call Evan, and the character drawn from my mother's life, who I call June,” Sussman said.

Sussman and Wiltshire-Gordon went on to discuss how “Boy from the North Country” portrays Dylan as an artist in crisis, searching for inspiration, when he meets June. Importantly, however, Dylan’s presence is not intended to — nor does it — consume the story. Once he has found his art, Dylan drifts seamlessly out of the narrative.

“He is always going to care more about the artistic expression of life than life itself,” Sussman said.

Evan’s character is largely built from his relationship with his mother in the story, which led Sussman to recall what it was like to construct the character of June from his own mother.

“Books are too small to fit a person into, and I knew that many people would read the book, who’d never met my mother, and so taking this person who I loved immensely and who was complex and who had lived a range of lives, and fitting her into a character — that felt like a very precarious task, and I thought about it every day when I wrote,” Sussman said.

He took great care in ensuring the accuracy of translation from real life to the page, while at the same time avoiding any hindrance of the originality and authenticity of those who are in essence fictional characters.

“When I went to transform those anecdotes or accounts that [my mother] had into a novel, it required a level of detail, and not just descriptive detail, but of her voice as well,” Sussman said.

Sussman took the time to thoughtfully read a handful of passages from the novel, such as those describing June’s experience pursuing acting in 1970s New York City, and it became clear that the relationship between art within the novel and the novel as an art form itself runs far deeper than one might think.

“This is so much a story of what it means to draw from life experience and create a work of art out of that that’s larger than that life experience,” Sussman said.

The discussion ended with a Q&A with the audience, during which Sussman responded to queries ranging from the cover art, to the book as Jewish literature, to writing as healing.

“Writing the book was deeply cathartic for me,” Sussman said.

In response to a question posed by The Crimson, Sussman considered the thematic parallels between his novel and Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch.” He remarked upon the similar mother-son relationship present in both stories, as well as the role of art.

“I think that’s a wonderful novel of how differently one work of art can sort of sit within our lives at different moments,” Sussman said.

And this idea of art inhabiting one’s life in different ways has personal resonance for Sussman.

“I identify with that,” Sussman added. “I mean, I have every book my mother ever gave me.”

Afterwards, attendees shared their reflections on the event with The Crimson.

“I really liked his perspective on viewing art, not through your own personal experiences, and kind of taking it for what it is, and then using that to form experiences, rather than relating everything back to yourself,” Zoe Sanders said.

Sanders also vouched for the impression that Sussman gave off, conveying an earnest warmth that only a writer — and a thinker — can.

“He just came across as very intelligent and passionate,” she added.

Cambridge local Molly Ready also remarked upon the discussion’s impact.

“I’m very attuned to end of life experiences, so I think he did a really nice job of handling that, and I think that it’s something that everyone would benefit from thinking about deeply, at some point,” Ready said. “We’re all going to experience it with someone we love, and it can really knock you off our feet. So, I just appreciate the way that he presented it.”

—Staff writer Rowan A. G. Whitworth can be reached at rowan.whitworth@thecrimson.com.