The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is on my must read list.  And I love hearing stories about what inspires writers as they create characters, so Heidi W. Durrow’s video about her grandmother, who shares a few similar traits with the grandmother in her novel is right up my alley.

My Real Grandmother from Heidi Durrow on Vimeo.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a story of “Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I. who becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy,” is the winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for Fiction.

Here’s what reviewers are saying about it:

“The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is that rare thing: a post-postmodern novel with heart that weaves a circle of stories about race and self-discovery into a tense and sometimes terrifying whole.”

—Ms. Magazine

“Durrow has written a story that is quite literally breathtaking. There were times when I found myself gasping out loud . . . I was pulled along each step of the way, wanting to know more.”

—Elle

“[An] affecting, exquisite debut novel . . . Durrow’s powerful novel is poised to find a place among classic stories of the American experience.”

—Miami Herald

And if you want even more ‘behind the scenes’ discussion of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Heidi has a great video of an interview with KOIN-TV Studio 6 up on her website.