Harlan Coben

It's a very thin line, as you and I both know.

So for years, I also had a pennant, what they call like a flag, a pennant, sort of triangle-shaped thing hanging on my wall, felt one, from when we visited that time.

So maybe I just imagined that memory from looking at that for most of my childhood on a wall.

I don't really know anymore, but that's my oldest memory.

I can still see, and when I go by it, I still get hit with that really strong deja vu, and I still see it every once in a while.

Who were these parents of yours?

What were their names, and how did they meet?

My father was Carl, Carl, and my mother was Corky, Barbara, but I already called her Corky, C-O-R-K-Y.

Fine.

Carl Coburn.

Yes.

And who was he?

Well, Carl, first of all, he was Cohen, which probably doesn't surprise too many people.

We changed the name because Cohen was so common where they were.

This is before I was born.

They changed it.

My mom just like, because her real name is Barbara.

Barbara Cohen was like saying John Smith in certain neighborhoods, and she didn't like that, I guess.

So she...

My mother was very odd with a lot of things with names, but so they changed it to, uh, to Coben.