He took a small box from his pocket. When I opened it, I found half a silver heart charm. Engraved on it was I lo—then there was a jagged break. “What’s this?”
He reached up to his neck and pulled a chain from under his sweater. The other half of the heart was dangling there:—ve you was written on it.
Blushing, of course, I threw my arms around his neck and whispered, “Me, too.”
We spent the next hour kissing, wrestling around in the snow and generally “acting our age,” as Gran would say. But no sex. I wasn’t a sex-teen. I was just a girl who was sixteen, and that felt pretty good.
A Q&A WITH JULIA KARR
When writing XVI did you have any real-life inspiration for the world and the characters?
My initial inspiration for XVI was an image of a punk rock girl walking down the street in a big city. I chose Chicago, drawing on my memories of the atmosphere, the architecture, the places I used to hang out when I lived there, and the different neighborhoods.
The characters were born exclusively in my imagination. But, as often happens, certain traits and quirks popped up from memories of friends past. There’s a little real-life inspiration in quite a few of my characters.
Did you have any reservations/concerns about dealing with such a sexually concentrated topic, particularly in YA fiction?
Honestly, I didn’t even think about that when I was writing the book. Sexuality and sexual identity is something that teens deal with on a daily basis. There is a huge disconnect between the vestiges of our country’s underlying Puritan mind-set regarding sex and the business of selling teen sexuality through movies, television, and all kinds of advertising. I remember well how it felt as a teen growing up with societal pressures, family expectations, and the struggle for my own identity, of which sexuality is, of course, a part. And, when you’re a teenager, it can seem like an overwhelming part.
Dystopian novels are a growing trend. What drew you to the genre?
My mind tends to jump immediately to the what-ifs in discussions about politics, society, and technology. I’ve found that for pretty much every utopian theme, there’s an equally dark dystopian one. And the dystopian ones are much more thrilling!
The characters that you created are very strong, and deal with very mature issues. Whom do you identify with most?
It has to be my protagonist, Nina. Sixteen for me was instant adulthood. I believe that most teens, if thrown into situations requiring them to grow up quickly, will rise to the challenge and discover what they are made of.
Like Nina, your main character, you had a transiton at 16 when you moved from Indiana with your grandmother to Chicago with your mother. How did this affect you? Why did you decide to give Nina a similar situation?
It was not a conscious decision to have Nina’s situation be similar, but, as the story unfolded, it was impossible not to draw on my own experiences. Moving to Chicago was the single most pivotal event of my life (except for having babies!). My entire world was turned upside-down, in both good and bad ways. However, Nina’s choices and her life experiences are not mine, even though remembering my own teen years gave me insights into how she might feel and react to situations.
This is your first young adult novel. Have you been surprised by anything during the writing/publishing process?
Perhaps a better question would be, “What has not surprised me?” I think my biggest surprises had to do with time and with the editing process. Publishing time is nothing like real time. There’s a lot of hurry up and wait involved every step of the way. And, with editing, I was surprised by how cringeworthy some of my writing was, and even more surprised when I’d read something that was so good I’d have to remind myself that I wrote it.
What books did you enjoy most as a teenager?
I have always been a voracious reader. As a young teen I loved mysteries and read every Nancy Drew at the library. From there I graduated to reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. I’ve also always loved science fiction and fantasy. A couple of favorite sci-fis from my teen years are More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, and Dune, by Frank Herbert. As far as fantasies go, E. R. Eddison’s The Worm Ouroborous and his Zimiamvian trilogy, plus many re-readings of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll. Dystopians that I read then were 1984, by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury.
• Do you think that Nina’s mom should have revealed the truth sooner? Why do you think she kept it a secret for so long? Would you have done the same?
• Do you think girls are judged by appearance and gender? Do you think boys are judged in the same manner? What role do you believe the media plays in this? What role do you play in this?
• Despite Nina’s concerns, Sandy embraced the media’s image of how a girl should look and act when they turn sixteen. Have you ever been in a similar situation? Can you give an example of how you bought into a trend despite your better judgment?
• If you were turning sixteen in this society, how would you feel? Are you a Sandy or a Nina?
• With the recent influx of dystopian literature do you think the plot of XVI is plausible? Are we moving toward this type of society?
• Do you see any similarities between our current society and the society that Nina resides in? What distinguishes one from the other? What makes either society undesirable?
• The government’s change of legal consent and the unequal treatment of women are left unexplored in XVI. What are your theories as to how this happened?
• Teens and sexuality/sexual education is a growing issue in America. The age at which kids are experimenting with sex is getting younger and younger. Discuss the consequences this is having on individuals and on our society in general.
OTHER BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY
Faithful
Fat Kid Rules the World
Impossible
Looking for Alaska
Matched
The Rules of Survival
Sunshine
Willow
Wintergirls
Janet Fox
Nancy Werlin
John Green
Ally Condie
Nancy Werlin
Robin McKinley
Julia Hoban
Laurie Halse Anderson
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