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Gayle Forman on New Novel I Was Here and the Rejuvenating Power of Kittens
Gayle Forman’s stellar standalone novel I Was Here is out this week. The story of a girl tracing the final months of her best friend’s life after the friend’s suicide, I Was Here is both a page-turning mystery and a heady celebration of survival. Here’s Forman on why she wrote two of the book’s cutest characters.
In the lead-up to the launch of my new book I Was Here, I’ve seen a lot of discussion about depression and suicide and mental health and YA dealing with such intense matters. What I haven’t seen discussed is kittens.
Yes, kittens.
Kittens feature prominently in I Was Here. A pair of littermates named Pete and Repeat. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that Suzy Gonzales, the young woman who inspired the character of Meg, also adopted a pair of kittens before her death.
But they also serve another purpose. Which is the purpose kittens serve. Which is a balm against all ills of the world. In If I Stay, the flashback structure was born in part because I needed a break form the intensity of the present-tense story. Similarly, in I Was Here, every time Pete and Repeat showed up on the page, I felt that same sense of ahhh happiness I feel when one of my cats climbs onto my chest, pads its paws, settles down, and purrs.
Kittens just make you feel better. I mean, look.
You feel better now, don’t you?
Research says you do. Studies have shown pets minimize anxiety, fend off allergies, and can even help you get a date. Really!
All kidding aside, in a book that goes to dark places of depression and mental illness it is worth holding fast to the things in life that bring comfort. Like books. And like kittens.
I Was Here is out now.