Oak Park author Wes Payton, 44, has written his third novel, “Standing in Doorways.” The two-part story, set in downstate Illinois and Chicago, introduces a group of college students who deal with mental-health issues and catches up with them two decades later. He recently took some time out to answer a few questions for the Oak Leaves.
Q: What can you tell me about the book?
A: The book is in two parts. The second half is set today. It’s a lot about online learning, which is my background. … I feel kind of similar to how Upton Sinclair must have felt. He just wanted to tell a story set in the meatpacking industry in Chicago, and people only wanted to talk about the horrid conditions of meatpacking facilities. The first half, it’s based on my own experience at the University of Illinois downstate in the mid-’90s.
Q: What inspired you to write about mental illness?
A: It’s definitely something I’ve been interested in. … At college, you get to know all these different people. I did some volunteer work with adult learners, and I did a lot of research, of course.
Q: How was the writing experience for this book different from your others?
A: It’s my third novel. First of all, it’s different because it’s a new publisher, and this one has a broader appeal. I think more people will be interested in this story. I think it’s more relatable. My last one was historical fiction. This one, it’s in the Midwest, going to college in the ’90s. In Chicago, it’s contemporary times. In some ways, it was the easiest to write, but also the most personal one I’ve written. I think that was a little bit surprising. … There’s less distance between the characters and me than the last couple.
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Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope they find some truth in it. I hope they can find something familiar in their own lives. In parts, it’s sort of a fantasy story, a bit out there.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: My publisher is making a book of two plays I wrote, ‘Way Station,’ and ‘What Does a Question Weigh?’ That’s coming out next month. I started writing plays, and it sort of evolved into writing novels. I use a lot of dialogue, so there’s a lot of similarity between them.
Q: Hidden gem of Oak Park or River Forest?
A: We live right near the Dole branch of the Oak Park Public Library, and we really enjoy going over there.
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