The Children’s Book Review | May 2, 2017
The Children’s Book Review: Which five words best describe The Scattering?
Kimberly McCreight: Suspenseful, harrowing, timely, moving, surprising.
If you had to take a vacation with one of the characters from The Scattering, who would it be? Why?
Jasper. But, technically, he would be my second choice. My first choice is actually another male character in The Scattering. But if I told you, it would be a spoiler! Suffice it to say, my real first-choice character has a lot of secrets I would like to know more about, and also I kind of have a crush on him. And now, you’ll just have to read and find out who it is.
What has been the best reaction from a reader, so far?
All the readers for whom the description of Wylie’s anxiety resonates. The readers who have said: that’s me. Wylie’s anxiety is very much based on my own experience, so hearing that others relate has the benefit of making me feel less alone. Also, people are floored by the ending of The Scattering. That’s always extremely satisfying!
What’s on your nightstand? Any books?
Girls & Sex, Peggy Orenstein; Dear Life, Alice Munro; Ramona Blue, Julia Murphy; The Crown’s Fate, Evelyn Skye; and Thick as Thieves, Megan Whalen Turner. Julia, Evelyn, Megan, and I will be touring together this spring, and I am so excited to meet all of them.
For your writing energy: sugar or salt, tea or coffee?
Um, all four. Okay, maybe not the tea. I feel like tea drinkers are more evolved people than me. I find them very intimidating.
Writing tools: computer, pen and paper, or all of the above?
Computer first, for early drafts. Then I turn to printouts, making (hopefully) fewer changes with each pass. That’s where the ice packs come in for my aching wrists!
Can you tell us one more thing we may not know about The Scattering, your writing style, or yourself?
I use the novel 1984 in The Scattering. Ironically, that was months before it popped back up as a bestseller in the current political climate. Writing, I find, is nine parts sweat, blood, and tears. But that last part—the part where 1984 jumped to mind for me—that is pure magic.
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Written by Kimberly McCreight
Publisher’s Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight raises the stakes in the second book of the heart-pounding Outliers trilogy, a uniquely speculative story about secrets, betrayal, and a world where one small group of people are blessed—or cursed—with an incredible power.
Wylie may have escaped the camp in Maine, but she is far from safe. The best way for her to protect herself is to understand her ability, fast. But after spending a lifetime trying to ignore her own feelings, giving in to her ability to read other peoples’ emotions is as difficult as it is dangerous.
And Wylie isn’t the only one at risk. Ever since they returned home, Jasper has been spiraling, wracked with guilt over what happened to Cassie. After all they’ve been through together, Wylie and Jasper would do anything for each other, but she doesn’t know if their bond is strong enough to overcome demons from the past.
It is amid this uncertainty and fear that Wylie finds herself confronted with a choice. She was willing to do whatever it took to help Cassie, but is she prepared to go to the same extremes to help complete strangers . . . even if they are just like her?
Ages 14+ | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0062359124
Available Here:
About Kimberly McCreight
Kimberly McCreight is the author of the New York Times bestselling, award nominated Reconstructing Amelia. Nicole Kidman is set to star and executive produce a film adaptation of the book, now in development, through her Blossom Films. Her second novel, Where They Found Her was a USA Today bestseller and a Kirkus Best Mystery of the Year. Her third novel, and debut YA, The Outliers was an instant New York Times bestseller and is the first in a gripping trilogy. The second book in the trilogy, The Scattering, will be published by HarperTeen on May 2, 2017. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters. You can learn more at www.kimberlymccreight.com.
This speed interview with Kimberly McCreight, author of The Scattering, was conducted by Bianca Schulze. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Suspense, Young Adult Fiction and Speed Interview.