Young adult fiction has recently been the topic of much debate as to the depth and darkness of a lot of the issues dealt with in the genre. How do you feel about writing for young adults? When you started your first novel, was it your intention to become a YA author?
I didn’t consciously set out to write for a YA audience, no. Actually, I do a range of things and I don’t think about categories very much when I write at all—I’ve written YA and middle-grade, and I’m working on an adult book now. It’s impossible to write authentically if you’re constantly thinking about categories or appropriateness, I believe. I just try and get to know the characters as deeply as possible; I truly believe that if you have a true and authentic sense of your world, your characters, and your story, it is impossible to wander into a place that is “too” dark. Fiction, perhaps paradoxically, is all about uncovering truth.
Both of your books are such strong stand-alone novels, but it is easy to imagine “Delirium” as a series. Do you see yourself writing series in the future? How do you decide where to end, and what to leave out? Is there a temptation to revisit characters to explore where they have ended up?
Actually, Delirium is part of a series! It’s the first book in a trilogy; Pandemonium, its sequel, comes out March 1, 2012, and Requiem, the final book, a year after that. I simply felt that there was a very rich tapestry of the world that I wanted to explore—and that was begging to be explored—which is what made me want to keep writing. Books speak to authors in a certain way; they take on a life of their own, and characters and stories begin to exist independently. So I think that part of being a writer is learning how to just tune into a rhythm, and let yourself follow it and honor it.
Dystopian fiction is such a rich genre because it allows us as readers and writers to explore the ‘what ifs’ of our society. In “Delirium” the question is ‘what if you could cure love?’ It’s an interesting idea, that love is a disease and is dangerous to society because of the instability that it creates. Certainly, by asking this question the novel becomes something much more than a romance, and manages to look at the real risks and rewards of something that is often such a fickle beast.
It also raises the idea of how much control by the government is too much, and when does an external choice over our safety impede on our personal freedoms.
So how much control is too much? Were you reacting to a particular idea when you wrote this, or is it based purely in your imagination?
I was reacting to various factors, I think. I’ve felt ambivalent about love and the feelings of passion it provokes: I’ve found myself in love with the “wrong” people and unable to love the “right” people; I’ve been heartbroken and wished I could suck out my own heart before; I know that love can be redemptive, and also that it can be damaging. So I wanted to explore all of those issues. I was also responding, I think, to the way that modern American is so sanitized and medicated. There’s a pill for practically everything. People no longer know how to be bored, unhappy, or dissatisfied; there is always a “cure,” always a stimulant to keep you going or a sedative to relax you.
Interestingly, too much choice has been proven to lead to unhappiness. People are often much happier when they have limited choices. And yet I believe that choice is divine, in some way, and our deepest happiness can be found by making strong, independent, meaningful choices for ourselves. So I wanted to explore that tension as well.
How much of yourself do you see in your characters? Do you think you would make the same choices as Lena?
It’s important to identify strongly with all of your characters. I am certainly less obedient than Lena is at the start of the book, although she is probably more radical than I am by the end. I am probably more like Hana. To forsake everything you know—family, friends, society, etc—for love? It sounds beautiful, but I’m not sure I could or would do it. Of course, Lena has a much sparser life than Hana does, and her future will be far more limited, so perhaps that helps influence her decision.
If you could cure one ‘issue’ that young adults face, what would it be?
I would cure the issue of alienation and differentiation; I would cure the fact that people are often bullied or belittled for being different. It’s weird; when you’re young, you strive so hard to fit in, and that’s such a false road to go down. The most wonderful and successful and happy people later on in life are the ones who are most unique.
What was the book that inspired you to write?
I’ve been writing pretty much ince I could read—all of the books I loved as a child inspired me to write, as I began essentially by writing fan fiction (sequels to the books I loved). Some of the big ones were: the Redwall series; the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Matilda, by Roald Dahl
Read more about Lauren, including on her new book Leisl and Po here
Lauren, thanks so much for being interviewed! And congratulations on your recent tour and the massive success of both books.
