What to Expect When You’re Expecting YA
Publishers Weekly just ran this wonderful article by Sue Corbett. “New and forthcoming books for teens tackle increasingly complex and sophisticated issues.”
(And there I am!)
… the two main characters in Jennifer Niven’s YA debut, All the Bright Places (Knopf, Jan.) meet atop the bell tower at school, each on the verge of taking a fatal leap. Allison Wortche, senior editor at Knopf, bought the book in a preempt, after finishing it at her desk in tears. ‘I hope this novel starts important conversations,’ Wortche says. ‘And we hope if readers– especially teens– do see themselves in these characters and struggles, that they recognize they’re not alone.’
The novel is already a commercial success: foreign rights have sold into more than 30 countries, and the Mazur/Kaplan Company optioned film rights, with Elle Fanning signed on to star. But as is often the case, the decision to write about teen suicide came from a deeply personal place. ‘Several years ago, a boy I knew and loved killed himself,’ Niven writes in an author’s note. ‘I was the one who discovered him.’
At the time, it was not something she wanted to talk about, even with family or close friends. She now realizes that not talking about suicide, and the factors that lead to it, is part of the way it becomes stigmatized. ‘Often, mental and emotional illnesses go undiagnosed because the person suffering symptoms is too ashamed to speak up,’ she writes. ‘If you think something is wrong, speak up. You are not alone. It is not your fault. Help is out there.’
