Matthew Gobea
asked
Ben Philippe:
I ab-soo-loot-ley LOVED this book! I can honestly relate to Norris as being a witty, "comical" person. And the friends he met along the way, Liam (my favorite), Maddie (also my favorite) and Aarti (whichhhh im kinda mixed with her). But at the ending, it was left off a cliffhanger. I was just wondering if you were planning on making a sequel to this friggin' awesome YA book? Seriously though, I think you should!
Ben Philippe
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Haha, poor Aarti! A lot of people feel the same way to this day, Matthew. It's entirely my bad, as she was the most challenging character to fully capture through Norris' POV alone...
If I can offer a random Goodreads defense of Aarti... A lot of the Norrises of the world (clever, intelligent, defensive, unsure of how to present themselves to the world) end up coming off like Aartis to outside observers who do not have access to their inner lives.
If you feel constantly judged and required to put on an act, it blurs into your personality a bit. So, Aarti leans into the mystique of being inaccessible, mercurial, and unknowable, a tease, a flirt, and, ultimately, in control -- which is what we all want over our lives.
I can imagine that Aarti spent a lot of time alone, unsure of what to do with herself before stepping into that school every morning -- which armor to put on. Eh, I should have written her better.
But yeah, Liam is still my favorite! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (hide spoiler)]
If I can offer a random Goodreads defense of Aarti... A lot of the Norrises of the world (clever, intelligent, defensive, unsure of how to present themselves to the world) end up coming off like Aartis to outside observers who do not have access to their inner lives.
If you feel constantly judged and required to put on an act, it blurs into your personality a bit. So, Aarti leans into the mystique of being inaccessible, mercurial, and unknowable, a tease, a flirt, and, ultimately, in control -- which is what we all want over our lives.
I can imagine that Aarti spent a lot of time alone, unsure of what to do with herself before stepping into that school every morning -- which armor to put on. Eh, I should have written her better.
But yeah, Liam is still my favorite! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Tj Joyce
asked
Ben Philippe:
Hey Ben! It’s been a few years, man. What are our thoughts on a sequel? Getting to hear the perspective of Norris Kaplan as he figured out- like most teenagers do- that the world doesn’t revolve around him was beyond insightful and interesting. I believe hearing your ideas from other characters views, from where they were left off would fuel the theme of learning and growing as teens. Enjoyed your writing very much!
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