The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is a novel about a young and talented filmmaker whose life ended too soon but who left an indelible mark on those few people who knew her and/or her work. The story is told through the various perspectives of these people: actress/lover Allison, brother Robbie, producer George, husband/musician Jacob, college obsession Daniel, journalist Benjamin. Each person seems to have been frustrated by their inability to really know or understand Sophie, expressing irritation and annoyance along with love and admiration. Through this creative narrative of Sophie’s life and career, North raises interesting questions regarding art and interpretation, about individuals’ stories and the way an artist might use and reinterpret them. What obligation does the artist have toward the source material? Who owns the story? Is it the artist’s obligation to respect the feelings and expectations of the source? Or to produce the best work possible?
Each character describes how they first met Sophie, and it is interesting to note that many were both drawn to her and yet bothered from the get-go. She had a creative vision and drive that were singular, and she possessed striking good looks, yet her social skills were abysmal and she could be incredibly thoughtless toward those who loved her. When she got an idea for her films, she became hyper-focused and driven to get exactly what she envisioned.
Sometimes I just want [perfection] so badly that I don’t think about what will happen or how other people feel. I can’t think about it even though I know I should.
While it’s never explicitly stated in the novel, it seems pretty obvious to me that Sophie Stark had Asperger syndrome or some sort of autism spectrum disorder. She didn’t learn to speak until she was three, often spoke with flat affect, ate only certain foods, suffered through bullying, found trying to fit in to be an unnecessary chore, and, like Temple Grandin, “thought in pictures”. Her direct and literal speech, asking questions that might not seem polite, and her ability to look at people without seeming to see them (not looking them in the eye) also seem very autism-like. George, the Hollywood producer comments,
I wondered how she had gotten this far without learning even basic politeness.
Her brother Robbie talks about being both embarrassed by and proud of his older sister growing up. He also worried about her constantly and loved her unconditionally despite Sophie’s seemingly cool nature toward him. Robbie felt protective of Sophie and was shocked to learn the truth behind some of her actions.
Sometimes I assumed that because Sophie didn’t care what was going on around her, she didn’t understand it either. I was always wrong.
We learn that Sophie was quite savvy when it came to reading people and perhaps was even manipulative. The stories of her lover Allison and of her husband Jacob illustrate this well. Sophie used their personal stories to great effect in her films, but she was not completely honest with them in the process and alienated both of them.
Sophie was aware that she was different from everyone else and that she had hurt people even though she didn’t really want to. From a young age, Sophie’s way of negotiating the world and people was through her camera; it acted like a buffer and yet drew people to her and allowed her to have some control over their interactions. Throughout her school years, students ignored or bullied her, but once she pulled out a camera, they wanted to talk to her, and Sophie could shape the conversation to suit her interests. Her first film, a documentary of college basketball star Daniel, started out as a weird sort of exercise in stalking but ended up empowering Sophie in a most unusual and shocking way. Later, when asked why she wanted to direct, Sophie’s answer reveals not only her creative need to direct but also the personal cost to her:
There were things I wanted to talk about in the world… but I had a hard time expressing them in words. So I learned to draw, and I did that for a little bit, and it was closer. And then I learned to take photos, and that was even closer, but it still wasn’t right. Finally, when I was in college I learned how to make movies, and that was the closest, even though there’s always a gap between what I want and what’s on the screen. I think that’s just how life is, but it still makes me sad.
Like the narrators, I as a reader felt a lot of sympathy for Sophie. She comes across as both brilliant and tragic, perhaps manipulative but also perhaps selfless. Her inability to communicate her vision to her satisfaction, her commitment to her work to the point of alienating those closest to her, is sad. And while I do think this character had an autism spectrum disorder, I also am prepared to believe that many artists experience the same personal and creative struggles. The possible reasons for Sophie’s death suggested at the end of the novel were provocative and could lead to lively discussion: how far does one go for one’s art, or for loved ones? Anna North does a wonderful job putting together the story of Sophie Stark’s life through the stories of her narrators, all interesting characters themselves. Two thumbs up!
