Darkness, a new friend

Deviating from the usual young adult fluff, authors Claudia Gray’s and Madeleine Roux’s new novels treat Manila to a little bit of horror.

MANILA, Philippines - There’s an annoying cliché that seems to come with young adult novels written by women. If they aren’t fluffy rom-coms that’ll be adapted to the screen starring Shailene Woodley, they’re angst-ridden dramas that only vary through the sexed-up fantasy creature the protagonist secretly is. (There can only be so many sexy vampires/werewolves/dwarves out there, really.)

Embracing a different kind of wickedness in their young adult novels, American authors Madeleine Roux and Claudia Gray have penned Sanctum and A Thousand Pieces of You respectively. Roux’s Sanctum, a sequel to the haunting Asylum, follows student Dan and his friends as they are haunted by their experience in a college dorm that used to be a psychiatric hospital. As the debut of Gray’s Firebird series, A Thousand Pieces features Marguerite Caine, who jumps to multiple universes in order to find her father’s killer and bring him to justice.

If there’s one cliché to be allowed, though, it’s that the authors themselves are total opposites of the dark novels they’ve written. In between meeting their Filipino fans during a trip to Manila, Claudia and Madeleine gamely chat with Young STAR to talk about seeing themselves in their protagonists, controlling your fears, and why strong female characters don’t always have to wear leather.

YOUNG STAR: The themes of your books are quite dark compared to most YA novels. Claudia’s book, for example, deals with murder. What’s the challenge with writing something like that?

CLAUDIA GRAY: That’s actually something I’m worried a little bit about, because you know there are so many people who are very unforgiving of female characters for the same things that they’d love male characters for. And Marguerite very much begins the story not as a stereotypical strong female character. They came and told her her father was dead not two days before (the story really began). So she is still all over the place, emotionally. One of the first editors actually was like, “Oh, but she starts crying. Why is she crying?” Her dad was not even buried! That is why she’s crying. But yeah, it’s still really fun to really dig into the heart of it.

MADELEINE ROUX: I feel like I live a pretty safe, normal life by most standards. And sometimes getting into the darker, more dangerous thoughts that you have is very satisfying. It kinda gets you up in the morning and be like, “All right! I get to talk about ghosts. And hauntings. And possessions.” Things like that. It’s just a really fun way to write. You’re always like, anticipating like, you get to describe this horrible thing! (Laughs)

CG: Yeah, it’s fun to imagine this stuff far more than actually experiencing it. That’s the reason why we love all these things, so we can experience the cathartic aspect—

MR: It’s a controlled fear. You know it’s not happening, but you’re caught up in it. It’s just a safe way to indulge in that adrenaline.

That’s an interesting way to look at it. And you, Claudia, mentioned that your heroine isn’t a stereotypically strong female character. How is she different?

CG: There’s sort of that joke now, about the strong female character. Like she has to be wearing leather, she’s tough, and she’s basically a man…

MR: And also capable and violent—

CG: But at the same time, her story’s not nearly as important as your story, sir. That kind of thing. I mean don’t get me wrong, I think Marguerite is a very strong female character, and I think she shows a lot of resourcefulness—

MR: But there are lots of kinds of strengths. Like, it’s not just about kicking someone in the face. It can be a more emotional sort of strength.

Do you think it’s important for a female character to be strong anyway? You know how people have really been divided on Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, like how she’s a very different female protagonist from what people are used to.

CG: Yeah, I know she’s a sociopath and all but I get why she doesn’t like him. (Laughs) That’s the particular power of that character in the story. She does these things that you can’t ever imagine doing, but her motives for doing it are things we can relate to. She just responds to that stimulus in a much more horrible way. There was so much pressure for Amy to be Amazing Amy. The cool girl.

MR: …Yeah, I know so many women who are like, “I’m not like those girls.” They’re basically throwing other women under the bus and being sexist against their own gender, just for men to like them more… And there’s this pressure. (My character) Dan is a guy, but I feel like with him, people are waiting, thinking, “So when is he gonna turn into this male hero that we know and love?” But he’s never gonna be that person. He’s a dork and a wet noodle. Some people are gonna be awkward for most of their lives.

Must’ve been intense to have a character like that in your head. Was it hard to switch off your own characters’ voices after you finished your books?

MR: No, because Dan is so different from me. He’s very quiet, awkward, and he’s still finding himself. So it’s a totally different thing to step into his skin. I think aspects of myself are definitely in him. But it’s definitely easy to shut him out of my head.

CG: Yeah, the same with Marguerite. Well, first of all, I’m not waking up in a Russia covered in snow. But the experiences she goes through are so radically different from mine.

MR: What characteristics do you share with her, though? I always ask authors this. Sorry, I’m just gonna take over your interview. (Laughs)

No, it’s great!

CG: Marguerite has a little bit of a tendency to jump to conclusions. I’m much better about that now, but certainly when I was younger. Her tendency to get into something before really knowing what it’s about. What about you?

MR: This is also not a good trait, but I feel like we’re both self-obsessed. I have to remind myself, “It’s not all about you!” A lot of things are happening, but they aren’t necessarily tied to you all the time. Like, Dan’s always thinking, “I did this. I put them in danger. Me, me, me.” He’s totally forgetting that they agreed to come with him.

Kind of like Harry Potter, I think. He’s always like, “Don’t do this with me, I have to do this alone.”

MR: Which always guilts people into doing it more! They’re not gonna leave you alone, that’s terrible. And they do go, and he’s like, “That’s right, you are going with me.”

CG: Yep, now let’s go get this dragon. (Laughs)

* * *

Grab your copies of Madeleine Roux’s Sanctum and Claudia Gray’s A Thousand Pieces of You in National Book Store nationwide.