Author’s debut novel set on Mackinac Island

Ryan Effgen is quick to clarify that “Make Nice” (Knopf $30) isn’t his debut novel.

“This is my debut published novel,” he said. “It’s really the third novel I’ve written – or fourth, if I count a truly awful one that I wrote when I was 19. Completing a novel and having it not see the light of day can be incredibly disheartening, but writing a novel is difficult and the publishing marketplace is unpredictable, so it makes sense that there will be a lot of bumps along the way.”

Born in Chicago, Effgen is the third of four children and lives in Virginia with his family.

Debuting Tuesday, July 14, “Make Nice” follows the Pickford siblings: Viv, a soon-to-be divorcée whose husband is very gay; Pete, a nerdy and lovable snail scientist; and Corey, the family’s conman hoping to sell pounds of cocaine to his fellow vacationers. Over the course of a weekend at Mackinac Island, the Pickford’s individual problems intertwine.

“’Make Nice’ came from thinking about the whole idea of family: What are our obligations to each other? And how do those obligations change over time? If you perhaps lose a parent or if you start a family of your own, your role in the hierarchy of the family shifts and gets rewritten,” Effgen said.

“I had the idea for Corey first,” he said. “He’s the youngest and is the black sheep, the one that the rest of the family is always frustrated with. I liked the idea of him being that way because his siblings would feel some sense of obligation to him, but they’re also at the end of their rope with him. As for Viv, I didn’t want Corey’s siblings to be a pair of shrinking violets, simply waiting to see what Corey was going to do next. One of his siblings needed to be outspoken and quick to call him out. I liked the idea of that sibling being the big sister. So, that’s Viv, the eldest sibling, and she has her own life crisis going on as well. Then there’s Pete, who is a classic middle child, trying to broker peace and be the soother of the waters. He’s a snail scientist, the idea of which was inspired by my wife’s cousin, who actually is a snail scientist. I always found that intriguing, particularly because he doesn’t come from a long line of scientists.”

Of the three, the overly confident and somewhat unhinged Corey was his favorite character to write. 

“I am not that way at all, so it was fun to inhabit that mindset,” Effgen said.

Effgen promises the three Pickford siblings aren’t based on his own three siblings.

“Not at all,” he said. “Though I think my siblings are already trying to draw lines from themselves to various characters.”

His family had a reunion at Mackinac Island once. 

“I had those memories and impressions to draw upon,” Effgen said. “Also, in our era of social media where you’re going to see everyone’s vacation photos whether you want to or not, I feel like Mackinac Island has flown under the radar, and I didn’t think the reader would say, ‘Oh, this place again…’” 

And for the novel, this was where the characters spent much of their childhood.

“So, in a sense, they are reopening their childhood,” he said. “The somewhat antiquated ‘simpler times’ vibe of the island aligned with what the characters are going though in a way that seemed interesting to me.”

Effgen said “Make Nice” was about half planned in advance and half by the seat of his pants.

“For example, I wanted Corey to be in a predicament similar to a ‘washed up’ child movie star, someone who seemed to have a ton of potential and then it all fizzled out,” said Effgen. “I knew I wanted that for him, but in a much lesser way, so that he wouldn’t be an actual celebrity that people would recognize. So, that aspect of it was plotted and deliberate. … What came out was this backstory of him appearing in a few cereal commercials where he invented his own catchphrase.”

Telling the novel from the perspective of four characters – the three siblings plus Viv’s daughter Ash – was both the best and worst part of writing, Effgen said.

“I didn’t want the four characters to be off on four unrelated adventures. I wanted their storylines to be braided together in a meaningful way. Mapping all of that out was quite grueling, and I found myself literally mapping the plotlines out on index cards spread out on the floor.”

Effgen said his debut-ish novel has something for everyone. 

“Because my book has to do with the highs and lows of family life, I think that pretty much anyone who picks it up will find something to relate to. And, dare I say, I believe it’s a funny book – and I think most readers appreciate a good laugh.”

“Make Nice” has already been named as one of The New York Times’ most anticipated summer reads. 

“That was so wonderful to see,” Effgen said, “but I’ll also say I seem to meet any recognition with a mixture of joy and relief.”

Visit Effgen www.ryaneffgen.com.