Psychtember Interview with Jackie Morse Kessler

I'm pleased to have Jackie Morse Kessler on the blog for a Psychtember interview! Jackie is the author of the Riders of the Apocalypse series, which includes Hunger, Rage, and Loss as well as the upcoming Breath.

First, a bit about Jackie and the latest in the series, Loss:

"Jackie Morse Kessler grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with a cranky cat and overflowing shelves filled with dolls and books. Now she’s in Upstate NY with another cranky cat, a loving husband, two sons, and overflowing shelves filled with dragons and books (except when her sons steal her dragons). She has a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature, and yet she’s never read any Jane Austen (with or without zombies). She also has a master’s degree in media ecology. (The living study of technology and culture. Which is cool, but she still can’t figure out how to use Tweetdeck.)  Jackie spends a lot of time writing, reading, and getting distracted by bright and shiny new ideas. (She just came up with a new idea right now.) She has a weakness for chocolate and a tendency to let her cat take over her office chair." (from her website)

"Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. But things change drastically when Death tells Billy he must stand in as Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now armed with a Bow that allows him to strike with disease from a distance, Billy lashes out at his tormentors...and accidentally causes an outbreak of meningitis. Horrified by his actions, Billy begs Death to take back the Bow. For that to happen, says Death, Billy must track down the real White Rider—who is lost in his memories.

In his search, Billy travels through White Rider’s life: from ancient Phrygia, where the man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to Sherwood Forest, where Pestilence figures out how to cheat Death; from the docks of Alexandria, where cartons of infested grain are being packed onto a ship that will carry the plague, to the Children’s Crusade in France—all the way to what may be the end of the world. When Billy finally finds the White Rider, the teen convinces the man to return to the real world.

But now the insane White Rider plans to unleash something awful on humanity—something that could make the Black Death look like a summer cold. Billy has a choice: he can live his life and pretend he doesn’t know what’s coming, or he can challenge the White Rider for his Crown. Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?" (from Goodreads)

And now for the questions...

1.) The protagonists in both Rage and Loss deal with bullying. In what ways would you say Missy's and Billy's experiences are similar, and in what ways do they differ? How did this affect how you approached writing scenes involving the bullying they face?

JK: Both Billy and Missy are victims of horrible bullying. Billy is physically assaulted, again and again, in big ways and in small ways, by people he fears and by people he loves. Missy and Billy are both verbally assaulted and called terrible names, in public in front of their peers. Missy's humiliation is large scale and goes viral; Billy's is more localized and, at times, private. But even though there are differences in how they are bullied, they both suffer greatly.

While I approached LOSS as a story about a very bullied boy -- physically, verbally, emotionally -- I didn't see RAGE as a book about a very bullied girl, even though she is. She copes with her bulling, and all the pressure she's under, by cutting herself; Billy doesn't know how to cope with his bullying. She has reached her breaking point (which is why Death offers her a job); Billy hasn't yet.

In terms of the writing, the bullying in RAGE came across in an organic way - Missy walking in the hallways at school and insulted; Missy at the party; Missy interacting with her soccer teammates; Missy back in school after the party and dealing with more insults and direct attacks, to say nothing of the cyberbullying. With LOSS, the initial scene was planned -- the book begins with Billy getting the snot pounded out of him, again. And from there, events unfold as we see his home life and his terror of going to school, and what happens in school at the gym and in the classroom and in the cafeteria. The bullying is more at the forefront in LOSS because that's everything to Billy; Missy doesn't see herself as bullied -- it's just how things are. It's a very bleak outlook.

2.) It's pointed out a couple times in Loss that sometimes asking a teacher for help with bullying doesn't do any good. What advice can you give to a teen getting bullied who suspects telling their teacher won't improve the situation?

JK: Keep talking - if not to that teacher, to someone else. Your guidance councilor. Your parents. Other teachers. Your friends. Talk. You matter, and your words deserve to be heard. If you still can't find someone willing to listen, call a crisis group or help group like To Write Love On Her Arms, which can help put you in touch with people who can help.

3.) The concept of memory is threaded throughout Loss, and is especially relevant to the characters of Billy's grandfather and King Mita. If King Mita and Billy's grandfather could switch lives for a day, what do you think each of them would learn?

JK: I can't answer that. Billy's grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer's and Mita by the time Billy meets him is insane. If they were both in their right minds, they would see and identify with how much each man loves his family. But neither of them is fully capable of doing that when LOSS takes place.

4.) In Rage, Missy does not have a strong support system at home. How important a buffer do you feel support from family and friends is in preventing emotional distress from developing into something clinical? Do you think if Missy's home situation had been more positive, this might have affected whether or not she began cutting?

JK: It's crucial that people have a support system -- friends, or family, or teachers, or others. We all need someone to talk to. The act of talking can be its own sort of balm. I can't speak to whether a support system would prevent distress from developing into something clinical, but I know from personal experience that Interaction -- knowing that we're being heard and not dismissed -- can help us heal. It's certainly helped me. (I'm a former bulimic and I also used to be on antidepressants.)

5.) Which of your YA books has challenged you the most as a writer?

JK: They each got harder and harder to write. In many ways, HUNGER was the easiest because it had been brewing for 10 years before I wrote it, and I had personal experience with an eating disorder. I think that BREATH (which comes out in April 2013) was the most challenging to write, not only because of the subject matter (writing about depression and suicidal thinking when you're feeling horribly melancholy and possibly depressed is **not** fun) but because of the structure of the book.

6.) Death is one of the most interesting characters in this series, and undoubtedly many readers' favourite  (he's my favourite, anyway!). Can you give us a teaser from the final book, Breath, in which Death finally gets to be the center of attention?

JK: Thanks - he's my favorite too. :) For BREATH, well, how's this? "In the fourth and final volume of the Riders of Apocalypse series, high school senior Xander Atwood has a secret. Death, the Pale Rider, has lost his way. What happens when the two meet will change the fate of the world."

And here's the full back cover copy:

Contrary to popular belief, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse aren't just harbingers of doom -- they actually keep life in balance. But what happens when their leader and creator, Death, becomes suicidal? Before the first living thing drew its first gasping breath, he was there. He has watched humanity for millennia. And he has finally decided that humanity is not worth the price he has paid time and again. When Death himself gives up on life, a teenager named Xander Atwood is the world's only hope. But Xander bears a secret, one that may bring about the end of everything. This heart-pounding final installment of the Riders of the Apocalypse series looks at the value of life, the strength of love, and how a small voice can change everything . . . forever.

Thanks very much, Jackie, for stopping by and answering all my questions!

Rage: A Psychtember Review

Patient: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Presentation (from Goodreads):  
"Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world."

*Note: there are spoilers discussed in this review, particularly the Axis 2 and Axis 4 sections. You have been warned!
 

Assessment:

Axis 1. Characters

You have to feel pretty bad for Missy, because she doesn't have a lot of support. Still, I never really fully understood why she started cutting. We know she was being teased and bullied, but we don't see a specific trigger that sets it off. I also had some trouble getting a clear picture of her relationship with her parents; she mentions at one point that they neglect her most of the time and only pay attention to her when she's their "perfect" daughter, but at another time she says they would hound her if they found out about the party. This seems to be a bit of a conflicted portrayal — are they interested in what's going on with her or not?

For a sister, Sue really sucked. She acted very cruel towards Missy most of the time, more like one of the bullies at school. Sue tried to offer Missy help in the way she knew how, but really, it probably did more harm than good.

Side characters like Trudy, Erica, and Becky could have been fleshed out, as we don't really get to know them. I also wish we'd gotten more from the horse Aries' perspective, and been shown more of his personality — he seems nice enough to Missy most of the time, even though he's a war horse! It was interesting to see a different portrayal of the character Famine than in Hunger, though. 

As for the romance that develops between Missy (as War) and Death, it is admittedly pretty cute. The whole idea of Death and War "working well together" makes sense, but it's kind of funny that it's being used romantically as well. I thought it was a little out of character for Death to get involved in a relationship (I don't know if Death would make himself vulnerable...does he even have a heart?) but at the same time I suppose it rounds out his character more. Jackie Morse Kessler's Death is an unusual take on "Death" to begin with — but he's the best character in the series so far, in my opinion! And he gets most of the good lines in this book, as usual.

Axis 2. Premise/plot

I felt that the pacing of this one was a little more sluggish than Hunger, and not a lot actually happens. The same internal struggle Missy faces comes up again and again (just prompted by different things). This struggle of whether she should give into her brutal impulses, or whether she can accept/control them without resorting to violence, is the crux of this book. 

It follows a similar storyline structure to the first in the series. Our protagonist has reached a fairly low point in her life. She receives and accepts Death's offer and begins to figure out her role as a Rider. She meets another Rider, has some more trouble with her problem, travels and sees how bad things are in another part of the world. Then she hits an even rougher spot, there's a big conflict scene, she wins out, has a large realization, and then things get better. The major difference between Hunger and Rage in terms of plot is the ending (spoiler, highlight to read: Lisa resigns from being a Rider, whereas Missy stays War). 

I thought Missy accepted the existence of the Riders of the Apocalypse and her role as War way too easily, like she understood it intuitively. It felt unrealistic that she took everything pretty much in stride. I suppose the author didn't want it to be same as how Lisa reacts in Hunger, but you'd think Missy would have demanded a bit more explanation. 

The ending also didn't seem that believable, in that Missy solves the problem in the abstract, but then this is translated immediately to the real world. Just because she has resolved things cognitively doesn't mean it will have an impact at once on her behavior. I feel like there would have been more of a learned behavioral pattern that she'd have to try harder to break (spoilers: after her "revelation" she just doesn't feel the need to cut anymore, and I'm not sold on that). However, the approach the author took to showing the battle between Missy and War was pretty cool.

The epilogue wrapped up the story too neatly, although at least it's not all resolved in a happy manner for Missy. However, it seemed like the author was trying to jam-pack everything into this epilogue, when it could have been included in the actual story instead. I would have been interested to see the guidance counselor sessions and Missy's parents' reactions, and I feel like we got cheated out of seeing that because it all happens in the epilogue!

I did like the last paragraph, as it perfectly ties together the concept of War with Missy's difficulties. I think it's important that the author acknowledges it's an internal conflict Missy is dealing with, and that just as Famine starves herself, War wars with herself.

Axis 3. Writing Style

The writing in Rage is quite repetitive. A lot of the same analogies and metaphors are used again and again (for instance, "razor kisses," blood imagery, and the idea of a glass jar around Missy's heart). However, Jackie Morse Kessler definitely does a good job of descriptions, managing to give the reader a flavour of things with powerful imagery and combining words together in interesting ways.

In particular, I enjoyed the scene where Missy wanders through a party and causes havoc. The way this was portrayed really conveyed the power of War's presence in influencing people in ways they weren't even aware of.

Axis 4. Psychological Accuracy

Rage very effectively shows the horrible cruelty that teens can inflict on each other. It's ruthless and vicious what Adam does to Missy, and the level the other girls stoop to is despicable. The worst part of it is, Missy is a girl who so clearly needs help, but instead she becomes a pariah because of her cutting. It feels so wrong that this girl, who needs all the support she can possibly get, is being tormented because of evidence demonstrating how emotionally distraught she is. Rage also realistically shows how cellphones and technology can exacerbate the problem further. 

At first, you might wonder why Missy is chosen as War, because she's not violent with others, just herself. But the author takes a broader viewpoint of War, and part of War is passion; as I understand it, Missy has difficulty handling emotion, and in order to deal with it, she cuts. This seems to match the motivation for many individuals who self-harm in real life. We're given some good descriptions of how Missy feels about cutting — what it does for her, how she feels after, how it gives her clarity and relief. Despite this, though, I never truly understood why she was feeling like this and why she would cut. 

What I think is less accurate in this portrayal is the quick resolution to Missy's self-injurious behaviour. We're told in the epilogue that she starts spending time with the guidance counselour at school, and then ends up telling her family about her cutting. This is certainly a step in the right direction for Missy, but I am still very doubtful that she could break this pattern of behaviour so easily. It is acknowledged that she could cut again in the future, but the whole thing seems a little too "cold turkey" to be believable. Indeed, self-injury can become something of an addiction — and addictions are notoriously difficult to just quit.

Validity Score: How psychologically accurate was Rage?

Axis 5. Miscellaneous

I was a little disappointed with this one and didn't find it as good as Hunger. Of course, with the first in the series it was a new world and concept we were being introduced to, whereas Rage doesn't have that novelty aspect. Personally, I also identified a bit better with Lisa from Hunger, finding her character more sympathetic and her problem (specifically, an eating disorder) more interesting.

Patient shares symptoms with: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield, Willow by Julia Hoban

Patient's statement:

"She lifted the razor in her right hand, holding it between her thumb and first two fingers. She heard Adam and the others call her names and accuse her of horrific things, laughing at her all the while. She felt her soul crumple, squeezed into pulp. She tried to breathe and failed. 


In her mind, Adam's voice whispered: Freak.

Tears stinging her eyes, she sliced down."

Diagnosis: 3 shooting stars.

For more information about bullying and self-harm, see here and here.

Note: this book contains some coarse language and mature content (both sexual and violent).

Blood Wounds: Guest Review

Ashley from Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing is sharing another review for Psychtember today! She's taking a look at Blood Wounds.

While Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer isn't necessarily a book about a psychological disorder- one is certainly never specified, or identified- it is about a girl who is obviously struggling to accept and come to terms with a lot of different things, and one of the ways she chooses to cope is through cutting.

When I first heard about Blood Wounds, I was really excited. It's Contemporary, which I love, it's about secrets, and pain, about learning who you are and how to be strong for yourself. So, when the chance to borrow this from a friend's tour site popped up, I jumped. And I was legitimately excited when it came in the mail. I just knew I was gonna love it.

But- alas.

The book didn't deliver for me on a lot of different levels. I honestly don't like writing reviews when I can't think of anything I liked, anything that worked well for me. But they must still be written, and this is one I specifically wanted to write for Psychtember because of the portrayal of Willa as a cutter. But we'll come back to that.

As for the novel in general, I was disappointed. Willa is shown as growing up in a loving blended home, with stepsisters she gets along wonderfully with, a stepfather who loves her like his own and a supportive mother who does everything she can for her. But, Willa cuts. She gives herself a schedule, slips down into the basement, slices her skin and goes back to bed. But then, her orderly, perfect world is disrupted when she learns that her real father, who her mother never talks about, has killed his new family- a step-mother and half sisters she never knew existed- and might be headed to find her next. Cue drama and panic. (very short lived and unresolved drama and panic, I might add...)

To top that off, she also found out that her step-sister's rich real mom has decided to stop paying the mortgage on their house, which means Willa is going to have to switch schools, move into a significantly smaller, less nice house, while her step-sisters (who once again get any and everything they could possibly want) get to go to super awesome-fancy private schools to further cultivate their talents and interests. Oh, and what about the fact that apparently being happy in this new marriage means that Mom becomes a complete doormat to keep new husband happy and Willa has to try to earn and deserve adopted Papa's love, because she's pretty sure it's conditional. Perhaps their perfect world is not so perfect?

I felt like the story couldn't make up its mind about what it wanted to be. Am I a story about a sucessfully blended family? OR what about what appears to be a sucessfully blended family but is really still dysfunctional?! OR am I a story about a girl struggling with inner demons? Or am I a story about the lies and secrets of the past coming to haunt the present? A story about manipulation and misconceptions?

Sometimes, a story can be all of these things. A story can pull many parts of many stories and combine them into something so emotionally charged it just steals your breath. But, the book has to actually have emotion in order for that to be sucessful. This book felt clinical, like a bland recitation of the facts or the bones of the story. Blood Wounds never involved my emotions. And, coming from someone who gets emotionally invested in almost every story, who sometimes cries when characters die in books I don't even like, that's saying something. It's rare for me to be so completely detached from a story I'm reading.

The only time I felt any emotion while reading was during the scenes that talked about or showed Willa cutting- and it's not the emotion I was supposed to feel. They just felt so, wrong to me and that made me angry. I've read several books recently that handled the topic of cutting very well. I don't even kind of pretend to personally know what it's like, because I've never done it. But I've read enough stories, both in books and from people who were or are cutters, that I feel I have a decently good understanding of the thoughts and emotions that go into becoming a cutter. And it should never feel clinical or sterile. For some, cutting is a way to survive. It's a way to control a part of their life, to control what they allow themselves to feel, to release emotions that threaten to drown them. It's something that they do because they honestly don't know of any other ways to cope with the internal chaos. It's not something they schedule days in advance to do, because it's what's 'next' to be done. It is a result of intense Psychological turmoil, and that's not something that you can write into your day planner or reach your weekly quota on. Pain doesn't work like that. I imagine that in the beginning, they can feel in control of the action, but from every story, every account I've read or heard, it grows beyond that. It grows beyond something they can easily control and becomes a crutch, a drug that they need to thrive, that they need to retain their sanity. (You should read some of the stuff that Cheryl Reinfield and Stephanie Kuehnert have said about cutting) I never felt that from Willa.

This, more than any other book I've read, makes cutting seem like something that might be appealing. Because Willa does control it. Because she does decide when and what and how. And she never thinks about it as a problem, other than knowing it can't get 'out of hand.' It just felt, wrong. If you want a story that can really telegraph the fear and pain and hopelessness that overwhelms you, read Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert or Willow by Julia Hoban or Scars by Cheryl Reinfield. These are stories that bleed. Blood Wounds, not so much. And it's a story that needs a strong emotional core to matter, to be worth investing time into.

And I didn't feel like this one had that. It just felt, empty. And toward the end, after Willa has to decide whether she is going to continue cutting, whether she is going to tell her mom about it, it's one of the most empty scenes of self analysis, or self discovery that I've ever come across.

This goes back to my OCD post, but it makes me want to shake all these authors and tell them it's NOT okay to just toss something like this into their story. THIS is the type of book that makes those crappy Washington Post article seem a bit valid. Because, at least in my opinion, this one really did feel like the cutting was added to make the story more interesting. And that's just wrong. You should never use the intense inner struggles of human beings to make a story more edgy and dramatic.

I'd love to hear from any of you who have read this book. Any of you feel the same way? Any of you feel completely differently?!

Ashley has been fascinated by the mind since before she can remember and decided long before college that Psychology would be her field of study. She received a BS in Psychology and is currently deciding where it should take her next. Ashley would like it to be made clear that she is not an expert in the field, and that the thoughts and feelings expressed are hers derived from both academic and personal study and experience.  

Thanks for the honest review, Ashley!