In the new young adult novel “Something Like Gravity” (Margaret K. McElderry Books/2019), author Amber Smith approaches the classic theme of first love, through a dark lens.
Her central characters Maia and Chris come together through their experiences of grief and loss. Maia is trying to navigate the world and her shifting identity after the death of her older sister. And Chris, a transgender teen boy, is still processing an assault he survived the year before. Can these two teens push through their own traumas and find a true, lasting love with one another?
Smith talks to guest host Anita Rao about her inspiration for Chris and Maia, and about using her experience as a queer woman to write a transgender character.
Smith will be atMalaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville on Wednesday, July 24 at 6 p.m. and at Heck YA! Book Fest in Davidson on Saturday, July 27 at 2 p.m.
