True Fiction Project – S7 Ep 2: Hemlock Lane

Host: Reenita Hora
Guest: Marshall Fine (journalist, critic, filmmaker, novelist)
Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of the True Fiction Project, host Reenita Hora welcomes award-winning journalist, film critic, biographer, documentarian, and novelist Marshall Fine to discuss his forthcoming novel, "Hemlock Lane." The discussion explores Marshall's prolific career, his fascination with trailblazers in creative industries, the inspiration and structure behind "Hemlock Lane," and how universal themes in fiction can resonate across time and culture. The episode also features a reading from the opening pages of "Hemlock Lane," highlighting the show's focus on transforming real-life stories into fiction narratives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Marshall Fine’s Creative Ethos (02:16)

• Restless Creativity: Fine shares his lifelong tendency to multitask creatively, writing plays and screenplays alongside a career as a journalist and critic.
  • Quote: “I guess you could say I have a restless creativity, that I’ll see something and go, I think I could do that. And so I try.” (02:56)
• Attraction to Nonconformists: Marshall's books and documentaries focus on creatives who “start their own path,” resisting the status quo (03:12, 04:17).
  • Biographies: Sam Peckinpah, John Cassavetes, and Harvey Keitel — all figures known for forging new directions in film or supporting emerging talent.

Journalism Highlights & Notable Interviews (05:07)

• Howard Stern Interview: Fine details interviewing Howard Stern for Playboy, which required six hours of in-depth conversation.
  • Quote: “That was the reason I became a reporter, it gives you license to ask people nosy questions, which, you know, a lot of fun.” (05:14)
  • He got the assignment after positively reviewing Stern’s work.

Stewardship in Film Criticism (06:46)

• New York Film Critics Circle: Joined in 1988, held the chair four times, and played a major administrative role.
  • Emphasizes the group's role in celebrating criticism and advocates for the preservation of its legacy and relevance.

About "Hemlock Lane" (09:00)

• Novel Structure: The novel is told over four days, each from a different character’s perspective, creating a layered narrative.
  • Quote (recurring, originating at the very start 00:29 and again at 09:00): “I like novels that reveal themselves slowly. I like the idea that each character saw things from a different perspective. And so as you saw that person’s perspective, you got a new insight into what had come before.”*
• Genre and Setting: Classed as "book club" fiction and often categorized as "women's fiction," the story is set in 1967—now considered historical fiction (10:04–10:53).
  • Addresses generational confusion over what counts as “historical.”

Hemlock Lane Synopsis and Themes (11:33)

• Plot Core: Focuses on Nora, a graduate student summoned home by her father in Tarrytown, NY, where suppressed secrets—her own and her father’s—simmer under the rule of her domineering mother.
  • Quote: “It’s a question of what will and won’t come out this weekend and what will be the fallout when it does.” (11:33)
• Character vs. Plot-Driven: The novel is primarily character-driven, offering deep backstories for its cast (12:18–12:26).

Narrative Inspiration & Structure (12:50)

• Literary Influences: Thornton Wilder’s "The Bridge at San Luis Rey" inspired the device of converging unconnected stories at a pivotal event.
• Central Conflict: The drama revolves not only around circumstances of the 1960s, but also universal tensions—child-to-parent revelations, the desire for independence, and generational clashes.

Timelessness of Family Conflict (14:14)

• On Historical Relevance: The emotional stakes of dealing with domineering parents transcend eras.
  • Quote: “I think that there is no sort of time period, time limit on domineering parents... it’s being a book of matches and living around dynamite.” (14:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I guess you could say I have a restless creativity, that I’ll see something and go, I think I could do that. And so I try.” – Marshall Fine (02:56)
• “My interest is in people who start their own path, who are in the system, but see another way, even if it’s not the accepted way.” – Marshall Fine (03:12)
• On why he became a reporter: “It gives you license to ask people nosy questions, which, you know, a lot of fun.” – Marshall Fine (05:14)
• “I like novels that reveal themselves slowly... each character saw things from a different perspective.” – Marshall Fine (00:29, 09:00)
• “It’s being a book of matches and living around dynamite.” – Marshall Fine (14:14)
• “One of the themes in the book is that she is sort of an early feminist... at that point in time [1967], this was still not a widely accepted or even widely known point of view.” – Marshall Fine (15:16)
• On generational differences in “historical” fiction: “If you were born after 9/11... everything from the 20th century is like—the Wild West.” – Marshall Fine (11:02)

Segment Timestamps

• Marshall’s career journey: 02:16–05:55
• New York Film Critics Circle: 06:29–07:58
• Introduction to "Hemlock Lane": 08:46–10:53
• Plot & Structure Discussion: 11:33–13:37
• Themes & Character Focus: 13:37–15:16
• Societal context: feminism and parental tensions: 15:16–16:34
• Reading from Hemlock Lane: 17:58–19:56
• Post-reading reflection: 19:56–20:25

"Hemlock Lane" – Reading Highlight (Fiction Sample)

Marshall Fine reads the opening pages, introducing protagonist Nora Levitsky as she pauses at a diner en route home. The passage reveals Nora’s nervous anticipation, the secrecy surrounding her personal life, and her status as a young woman on the threshold of change in 1967:

• “Nora Levitsky pulled off New York State Highway 17 into the parking lot of a diner in Roscoe, New York…No point in arriving any earlier than necessary… I’d like to be able to breathe easy for a while longer.”—Marshall Fine, as narrator (17:58–19:56)
• The section closes with Nora’s internal realization: “At that moment in June 1967, Nora Levitsky, who had once vowed that she would never, ever get married, realized she was thinking about sharing a future with a husband.” (end of reading)

Fiction Out of Nonfiction

• The show’s signature: after the interview, the fiction writer (here, Fine himself) shares how the real-life themes, characters, and conflicts discussed become the seed for a fictional narrative.
• This episode’s reading exemplifies how nuanced personal history and social context can translate into evocative, layered storytelling.

Where to Find Marshall Fine

• Website: marshallfine.com – main place to connect or find more about his works and interviews (16:55)
• Instagram: Linked through the website (16:55)
• Books: Biographies and new fiction available via Amazon and linked on his website.

Key Takeaways

• Marshall Fine’s fiction is deeply informed by real-life observation, his own “restless creativity,” and the honest complexities of family, generational divides, and societal change.
• “Hemlock Lane” is both a reflection on the shifting social mores of the 1960s and a timeless portrait of family dynamics.
• The episode is a testament to how nonfiction experiences, interviews, and social commentary can become the foundation for rich, character-driven fiction.

For more on writing, storytelling, and the blending of nonfiction and fiction, visit www.TrueFictionProject.com.