The fiction written by Jesse Ball rarely lets the reader keep their bearings. Narratives disappear into narratives; storytelling styles overtake one another while never losing a particularly sense of atmosphere. Ball’s latest, Silence Once Begun, follows a writer (also named Jesse Ball) investigating a series of disappearances in Japan, and delves into questions of guilt, ambiguity, and perception. I caught up with Ball with a few questions about his past work and his forthcoming novel.