Erin Eastham's Blog - Posts Tagged "q-a"
Q&A: Among the Joyful
A: I happened to see an article about smile surgery, which is a real thing. Some young women in South Korea have a procedure done so that their default facial expression is a smile, no matter what they’re feeling. It made me think about the pressure we all feel at times to act like things are fine when they’re not, to present a happy appearance to the world no matter what’s going on inside. That was what prompted the idea for the world of Among the Joyful, where negative emotion has to be hidden if you want to be a functioning member of society.
Q: What makes Among the Joyful different from all the other YA dystopias out there?
A: I wanted to create a dystopian society that could just as easily be described as utopian. The original founders weren’t setting out to oppress people—they wanted to make life better, and in many ways they succeeded. They created a culture where service to others is valued, where citizens contribute to the public good and take care not to have a negative impact on their community. Of course, there’s a price, and that’s where it gets interesting.
Q: Some readers have compared the beginning of Among the Joyful to The Giver by Lois Lowry. Was this intentional?
A: Strangely enough, although I mention The Giver in Among the Joyful, I have never actually read it. My son read it and described it to me in great detail. It struck me at the time how deeply affected he was by what he’d read. It had a real emotional impact on him, and I imagined how strongly someone would react who had never been exposed to anything sad or painful, how devastating that might be.
Q: The society in Among the Joyful has banned any art or literature that might evoke negative emotions. Is that realistic?
A: I had read that parents in one school district in the U.S. sought to ban The Diary of Anne Frank because it was too depressing. As a parent, I also find myself trying to shelter my kids from the harsher realities of life. At times I have to step back and remember that as a kid I read everything I could get my hands on. It didn’t depress me or warp my view of reality. Reading broadly expands your understanding of the world and enhances your ability to empathize; in my opinion, sanitizing literature for kids does them a disservice.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
A: I love Neal Stephenson, China Miéville, Octavia Butler, Chris Beckett and Connie Willis. My favorite YA authors include Maggie Stiefvater, Margaret Stohl, Rick Yancey and Suzanne Collins. Paolo Bacigalupi has written amazing books for both science fiction fans (The Windup Girl) and YA readers (Ship Breaker, The Drowned Cities). Oh, and I adore Rainbow Rowell.
Q: Do you have a writing ritual?
A: I always make a playlist for the book I’m writing and play it on a loop. The songs become so associated with the story that they get me right back into it when I sit down at my desk. My playlist for Among the Joyful had a lot of songs by Dresses, Lucius, CHVRCHES, Lorde—songs that were fresh and didn’t have any existing associations for me, along with some old favorites like Smashing Pumpkins and the Shins.
