An Interview with Brian Oberman
Brian Oberman is a Minnesota memoirist whose work explores love, devotion, resilience, and the unexpected ways adversity can deepen human connection. His debut memoir, The Woman at the Sunshine Factory, chronicles the real-life story of falling in love, navigating immigration detention, and holding onto hope during a season of profound uncertainty. When he isn’t writing, Brian enjoys cooking, home improvement projects, and spending time with his wife, Viktoriia.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
The title came fairly naturally because Viktoriia and I had our first date at a local restaurant called “The Sunshine Factory.” At the time, I was simply journaling about our dating experience, something I do every day. Then one day, as events became more and more unbelievable, I had a realization: this wasn’t just a journal anymore. This was a story.
What happened to Viktoriia, what happened to me, and what happened to us seemed almost impossible to believe. The title stayed with me because the story began at the Sunshine Factory, and in many ways, everything that followed grew out of that first date.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
Seeing the cover for the first time was actually more complicated than people might expect. The first version wasn’t quite what I had imagined while writing the book. I had a very specific vision in my head, and I worked closely with the Atmosphere Press team and the designer to blend my original ideas with their creative perspective.
The result was something better than what I could have created alone. The final cover felt like the book. It reflected the emotion, the tone, and the story I wanted to tell.
Holding the finished book was exciting, but honestly, the most meaningful moment wasn’t when I held it. It was when Viktoriia held it. When I started writing, I had no idea whether we would end up together. I didn’t know how the story would end. Seeing her standing beside me, smiling as she held the finished book, meant more than any sales number or publishing milestone ever could.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I didn’t set out to write a book. I set out to record my life.
I’ve kept a daily journal for years, and during this period, I found myself documenting every detail of our relationship, the uncertainty, the fear, the hope, and the countless things that happened while Viktoriia was in detention.
As I continued writing, there came a moment when I looked back over my journal entries and thought, “No one is going to believe this happened.” That’s when I realized I wasn’t simply documenting events anymore. I was documenting a story.
The book grew organically from those journal entries and from a desire to preserve an experience that changed my life.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Believe it or not, I started working at a young age as a busboy at a local restaurant. At one point, I even tried collecting garbage with a friend. I also DJ’d a bit in college. Later, I worked in a beef processing plant.
That job taught me something important. I realized I didn’t want to spend my life doing manual labor. I wanted to build things with my mind as well as my hands.
Today, I’m a technologist. I work as a software engineer and architect, and I lead two teams at a Fortune 500 company.
Most readers probably assume the author of a memoir spends most of his time writing. In reality, I’m just as likely to be solving technical problems, renovating part of my house, or helping someone troubleshoot a difficult situation.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
Knowing that Viktoriia’s story would be preserved.
So much of what happened to us felt temporary, uncertain, and fragile while we were living through it. Publishing the book transformed those experiences into something lasting.
More importantly, it allowed me to give meaning to a painful chapter of our lives. If readers can better understand the human side of uncertainty, immigration detention, devotion, and hope, then sharing the story was worth it.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
“Style”—Taylor Swift
“Latch”—Sam Smith
“Waiting on the World to Change”—John Mayer
“Lay Me Down”—Sam Smith
“I Won’t Give Up”—Jason Mraz
“My Heart Will Go On”—Celine Dion
These songs capture the themes of hope, persistence, healing, distance, and devotion that run throughout the book.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
I hope readers leave with a deeper appreciation for devotion, especially during times of uncertainty.
Anyone can love when life is easy. The true test comes when there are no guarantees, no timeline, and no clear answers.
My perfect reader doesn’t need to know anything about immigration. They simply need to know what it feels like to care deeply about another person. Anyone who has waited, hoped, worried, sacrificed, or refused to give up on someone they love will recognize something of themselves in this story.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a follow-up memoir that explores what happened after the events of The Woman at the Sunshine Factory. The first book asks whether love can survive uncertainty. The second explores what happens after uncertainty is replaced by the realities of building a life together.
I’m also continuing to create video content and share stories from my writing journey with readers online.
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
Publishing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. One thing I appreciated about working with Atmosphere Press was the opportunity to bring this story into the world with a team that understood how personal the project was. For other writers, my advice is simple: finish the manuscript. So many people dream about writing a book, but very few complete one. You can’t edit a blank page, publish a blank page, or share a blank page with the world. Finish the story first. Then keep moving forward one step at a time.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.