Tess Callahan's "Dawnland"

Tess Callahan is the author of the novels April & Oliver and Dawnland. Her essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Writer’s Digest, National Public Radio, Agni, Narrative Magazine, AWP Notebook, Newsday, The Common, the Best American Poetry blog, and elsewhere. Her TEDx talk on creativity is titled, “The Love Affair Between Creativity & Constraint.” Callahan is a graduate of Boston College and Bennington College Writing Seminars. A certified meditation teacher, she offers meditations on Heart Haven Meditations and Insight Timer. She curates Muse-feed.com, a toolbox for aspiring writers. A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, she lives in Cape Cod and Northern New Jersey with her family and number one life coach, her dog.

Here Callahan dreamcasts an adaptation of Dawnland:

Because Dawnland is about love of all kinds—romantic, doomed, familial, fatalistic, erotic—it requires actors with a wide range and a director with an eye for subtlety. Set it in the spectacularly dynamic landscape of Cape Cod’s outermost beaches, the setting mirrors the inner life of the characters, who teeter on cliffs both literal and metaphorical. April and Oliver are in- laws with a tangled past. As their family reunion unfolds, their buried secret threatens to erupt like a rogue wave. Fault lines appear between spouses, siblings, parents and children in what becomes a summer of reckoning. Will the truth force deeper, more authentic relationships or destroy them irreparably? Anne Hathaway is a dead ringer for April, both physically and in terms of her personal zest and emotional range. In Dawnland, April’s husband Al says she has “Anne Hathaway eyes,”—dark, boundless, and full of mystery. From Brokeback Mountain to The Devil Wears Prada, Hathaway demonstrates the depth and versatility needed for a vibrant and often unpredictable character like April.

Although he is not (yet) an actor, the Irish musician Hozier is perfect for the role of Oliver. Not only are they both tall, lean, and quietly irreverent, they possess a rare blend of deep introspection and ferocious passion. Like Hozier, Oliver is a musician. They possess the same musical sensibility and vocal range. Hozier is mentioned in Dawnland as someone Oliver admires, and at one point Oliver and April dance to an iconic Hozier song, “Movement.” My confidence in Hozier’s acting ability lies in his music video, “Eat Your Young,” as well as his riveting performance on stage. His simmering passion perfectly suits the role of Oliver.

Hathaway and Hozier would melt any audience.

As for directing, Todd Haynes would be a natural. He has done compelling work exploring the inner life of musicians as well as family and societal dysfunction. Another great choice would be Marielle Heller, who has a deep understanding of teenage psychology and clearly grasps the consequences of long held lies.

Finally, I would go with Declan Baldwin as producer due to his wide range of experience and his highly nuanced films such as Manchester by the Sea and Still Alice.

Dawnland is highly cinematic novel begging for a movie. Who’s onboard?

Learn more about the novel and author at Tess Callahan's website.

The Page 69 Test: April and Oliver.

The Page 69 Test: Dawnland.

--Marshal Zeringue