Golden Boy Blog Tour - Q & A with Abigail Tarttelin

Golden Boy is an wonderful written, intense novel that I fully enjoyed. If you missed my review be sure to check it out.

Today I have the author, Abigail Tarttelin, stopping by to answer some questions about her writing, and the novel.

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1 Describe Golden Boy in three words.

Emotional, sweet, heartfelt.

2. What sort of research did you do prior to writing Golden Boy? Did you interview any intersex teenagers?

I came to Max’s story with my own thoughts on what it meant to live a life as one gender and what it might mean to live life as another. I also did a fair amount of research into intersexuality, but to be honest, the science of someone’s body can only lend so much truth to a character. It can make your way of life different; for instance the relative size of women to men might make a woman feel more vulnerable and be more cautious. Having or not having a recognized gender, however, isn’t the thing that make you human or makes you feel as you do; and although Max is intersex, this isn’t what defines him, or makes him a sentient being. With Max, as with most of my characters, I feel like they are already formed people and I need to find the key to writing their point of view. In researching Golden Boy, I was able to contact a new generation of bloggers and subculture teenage internet icons totally subverting the old ideas of gender identity. Their identity was informed by gender, but by an alternative gender – for instance pangender or genderqueer – that they had chosen. I followed these blogs and spoke to several intersex people about their experiences, but in the end, Max’s story isn’t supposed to represent the feelings or experiences of all intersex people. It is simply one story, and one voice.

3. The "abuse of trust" that Max experiences is devastating. As a reader, because that part was so well written, it is emotionally draining. Was it as emotional to write?

With every character I write, I try to be in that character’s body and mind with them, so it was an incredibly emotional scene to write. I felt very strongly however, that it should be depicted in the detail that it was, because I think where literature sometimes tries to make sexual assault less frightening for readers it often obscures how truly horrifying it is, and why it’s so important we try to prevent it and care for victims.

4. Who are some of the authors who have influenced your writing?

When I was sixteen or seventeen, my English teacher gave me a copy of The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan, and I realised that I could write about anything, literally anything. Until then I had just read the classics, and although I love them, they didn’t show me that contemporary culture was an acceptable topic for a novel. Several books were a big influence on Golden Boy, but more than any other, The Women’s Room by Marilyn French made me focus on the theme of gender and led me to tell Max’s story. A book I wish I had read before Golden Boy, which is a stunning book in every way, is The Good Women Of China by Xinran.

5. Since this is your debut novel - what has most surprised you about the publishing process?

I’ve been so excited to be involved so much in the publishing process, from my notes on cover designs, to editing, to ideas about publicity and events. The thing that perhaps surprised me most was how much editing and proof reading work there in to do following the acquisition of the novel by publishers. We did one large edit, with notes from the two English language publishers, for which I handed in two manuscripts, one in the middle of editing to check we were headed in the right direction and one at the end. Then I did two separate proof reads of the 100,000 words manuscript for both publishers and then another read for each publisher for final checks on typos etc. Given that the book is so huge, this actually took me until the end of 2012, having sold the rights in April, but it was well worth it to get the book to the quality we hoped it could be, and I feel that I’m a much better editor and writer because of it.
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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the chance to be part of the blog tour, and Abigail for answering the questions. Golden Boy is in stores on May 21st so be sure to check it out.

If you are in the Toronto area, be sure to stop by Golden Boy event that is taking place. It sounds like a fantastic night.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Release Date – May 21, 2013
Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster/Atria
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  352 pages
My Rating- 4.5/5
**Received an ARC from publisher for review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The Walker family is good at keeping secrets from the world.T hey are even better at keeping them from each other.Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother. Karen, Max’s mother, is a highly successful criminal lawyer, determined to maintain the facade of effortless excellence she has constructed through the years. Now that the boys are getting older, now that she won’t have as much control, she worries that the facade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband Steve has chosen this moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their lives.

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won’t his parents talk about it? Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Who is Max Walker really?

Written by twenty-five-year-old rising star Abigail Tarttelin, Golden Boy is a novel you’ll read in one sitting but will never forget; at once a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity, and a coming-of-age story like no other.

To anyone on the outside Max Walker is perfect. He’s good looking, athletic, smart, and charming. He even comes from a seemingly perfect family. Nobody would guess that Max, the typical golden boy, has a secret.

This novel crushed me within the first  20 pages. The betrayal Max experiences is so crushing, so excruciatingly devastating that I was left drained. I had to pause, and take a moment before continuing the story. Abigail Tarttelin’s exceptionally good writing is showcased at it’s finest in these early pages, and as a reader I felt everything Max experiences.

The novel is told from many view points, and with Abigail Tarttelin's writing each character feels unique enough to have their own voice. Each of them adds another layer to the story, and add dimensions to the other characters. It’s interesting to see things from different angles and perspctives, especially in a scenario like the one presented in the story. There is no easy answer, and each person’s own motivations are going to factor into their decisions. I felt that was superbly handled and helped make each of the characters feel real.

Out of all the voices we get to hear, Max is the one that will stay with me. Every single part of me ached for him. His confusion, his anger, his pain, his guilt. There are lighter moments, bright specks amongst the usual grey, and each of those was something I wanted for the character to hang on to. I wanted to shield this character from the bad things that did happen, and could happen. A teenager who is just trying to figure out the usual teen angst, except adding in something that makes everything that much more complicated. The desire to just be himself tugs at Max. The pressure to be perfect and not shatter his family builds. Getting to see Max unravel is dramatic, and sad. I was haunted with how young his character seemed.

Daniel, Max’s little brother, was adorably sweet. A ten year old with a fun sense of sarcastic humour, and early teenaged temper. His anger at everything that is happening is understandable, and sometimes he felt older than his years as a result of everything that was going on. He was someone who could reach Max, even when Max didn’t want to be reached.

The Walker family is filled with love.  It becomes apparent that this family is one that cares deeply about each other. Sadly, because nobody is perfect, they also hurt each other. The damage done by years of not communicating properly, and pretending finally catch up to them. Seeing them struggle to hold on is both heart breaking, and encouraging. I came to care about this family, and what happened to each of them.

The notion of sexuality and defining yourself is something that Max has to deal with throughout the entire novel. It’s not an easy question, and it’s one that is made even harder by the many secrets Max uncovers.

You may have noticed that I haven’t revealed what exactly happens to Max, or the events that happen in the aftermath. This is because the journey Max takes is best experienced with the character. Live the moments through the character, and enjoy the massive curves Abigail Tarttelin throws in. They’re shocking, and yet relate to the heart of the book.

The last bit of the novel felt a little off in terms of pacing compared to the rest of the novel. It’s slower, and, for me, didn’t flow with the rest of the novel. As I am reviewing an Advance Reader Copy, I am not sure if the same ending will be in the hardcover, but it felt rather abrupt.

A novel that I expect will have great cross over appeal with older YA readers. Both a coming of age story, and a look at what it means to define yourself, and who ultimately gets to make that decision. An emotionally draining, and yet insanely satisfying read.

New To My Mailbox

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

This week was a busy one at the mailbox. Most of the stuff is for the Ottawa Blogger Mix and Mingle happening next weekend, so those will be saved for a future post, but I do have some goodies to share.

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood (goodreads)
Golden Boy by Agigail Tarttelin (goodreads)

Big thank you to both Penguin Canada and Simon and Schuster Canada for these two titles. I am so excited to pick up Star Cursed as I loved Born Wicked. Golden Boy wasn't on my radar, but it sounds intriguing.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!