Macromere Press

Macromere: Unlike Harriet Quimby and Christine Chubbuck, the title character of “Ai’dah,” the third story in He Who Shall Remain Shameless, did not actually exist, is that correct?

David: That’s correct. No dates of birth and death can be found on the Internet whatsoever.

M: In the story then, can Ai’dah be considered a ghost, or something else?

D: The narrator David Michael Ewald starts off the story by alluding to as much. “…I sensed it was time to take a break from American soil,” he writes, “and turn elsewhere—time to slow down and pursue the not-necessarily supernatural.”

M: So Ai’dah could still be a ghost….

D. She could. But that something else you mentioned is what this story is focused on. “Ai’dah” is less a ghost story than it is a parable of American intervention.

M: American intervention?

D: American intervention in international affairs, particularly military-related, particularly in the Middle East.

M: A parable, huh. Does that fit in with the rest of the book?

D: It does because it’s satire, and He Who Shall Remain Shameless is satire above all else. More than horror, this novel is satirical, and I think that satire reaches new heights in “Ai’dah.”

M: There are certainly absurdist elements. The ‘gun,’ for one.

D: Ah yes, David’s ‘gun.’

M: And his and Ai’dah’s escape from the captors, followed by what happens in Tarifa…

D: The images in this story, Ai’dah on her bed amongst the shopping bags, for example, they can’t be taken literally.

M: Figuratively….

D: Yes. Like I said, Ai’dah could be a ghost, she could have died before David reaches her, which is entirely possible, and she certainly shows up again with the for-certain ghosts later on in the novel, but I see her more as a symbol, as representative of certain ideas, of resistance. She’s an idea more than she is an actual ghost. But this story works with the the others in the novel because it’s still about David’s fear of Ai’dah being forgotten, and his desire to “save” her, just like he fears Harriet Quimby and Christine Chubbuck and the others will be forgotten. By taking Ai’dah to America and having her assimilate, she will be remembered. She will never die, in his mind. 

M: As always, thanks for taking the time to help illuminate some of your novel, David.

D: My pleasure.

Here at Macromere, we celebrated Memorial Day the old-fashioned way: by watching our neighbors raise the American flag outside their front door and stand before it with their hands held proudly over their hearts, John Philip Sousa pounding over their heads, their standard poodle wagging by their side….The American flag was upside-down, but since they didn’t notice, we decided not to point it out. 

Memorial Day got us thinking about all those who have passed on…especially the soldiers. We decided to get David Ewald, whose novel in stories, He Who Shall Remain Shameless, will be released later this summer, on the horn and ask his impression of this holiday.

Macromere: We noticed there aren’t any soldiers in He Who Shall Remain Shameless. Was this a conscious decision?

David: Unconscious, or, I suppose to be more accurate, subconscious. The story “Ai’dah” has something of a war theme going on in much of it, and a case could be made for “Aegeus” and maybe even “Leo”. But, no, ultimately I didn’t include any spirits of veterans or soldiers or anybody from that walk of life.

M: Are you tempted to now?

D: Seriously?

M: Not really.

D: Oh, good. You had me breaking out there for a moment.

M: We admit it’s a little late to add in another story—or mission, as the narrator calls them.

D: I’ll say.

M: So, what do you think is the best way to celebrate Memorial Day? Flying the flag and playing John Philip Sousa? Barbequing with friends in the park? What about—

D: Going to a cemetery, IMHO.

M: IMHO?

D: In my humble opinion.

M: Oh.

D: It doesn’t have to be Arlington, or a cemetery with even a single soldier’s headstone in it. It could just be a cemetery—any cemetery. Just go, and pick a headstone, and look at it, gather its details, and think, and imagine….

M: Or go online?

D: There’s always that option, too.

M: Thanks, David. We’ll let you go for now. Until next time….