Interview of Miranda Luby by Haylee Hackenberg
The Edge of Everything by Miranda Luby is a stunning exploration of grief and the unique limbo that permeates every moment of teen-hood. The very themes of the book – endangered wildlife, friendship, grief and romance seem to encapsulate the melting pot of random wonder that teens face. Lucy is crashing out fast, deep in the grief of losing her brother. When an endangered bird flies into Lucy’s window, she’s determined to take it as a sign. Particularly when that sign seems to point to cute, flirty, wildlife sanctuary worker, Ben. Like all things in life, of course, it’s not that simple. Miranda Luby has created a sometimes tender, sometimes funny, always sincere story that fills the reader with hope.
Something that struck me about The Edge of Everything was the character voice. It really rang true of what I know and remember of teenagers. Was that something you had to work on as a conscious choice?
On the one hand, crafting a teen voice is a technical skill partly honed from years of reading excellent young adult fiction. But on the other hand, I believe this voice comes quite naturally to me. I’m someone who remembers vividly what it’s like to be a teenager, and still experience the same ‘big’ feelings and deep thoughts I had back then. Both the protagonist in my first book and Lucy in this one are highly autobiographical.
There are some heavy themes throughout this book, including grief. Despite this, the book never feels difficult to read. Was maintaining that balance important to you?
Thank you! And yes, that was very important to me because that’s what life is like (for me at least). One minute you’re wondering about the meaning of it all, and the next minute you’re thinking about how delicious your sandwich is. The hardest moments of our lives will be cushioned by lightness if we look for it.
The Edge of Everything hits an age group most of us have raw feelings about, even in adulthood. Was there a book that meant a lot to you as a teen?
I read a lot of series about magic and vampires and space. I really used reading as an escape, not because I had a difficult childhood, but simply because being a teen is full on and hard for everybody and reading about other worlds was fun and exciting, a space where I didn’t have to think about myself for a while.
YA as a genre has had a huge resurgence lately. What are the themes you think are missing from teens’ bookshelves?
There is always space for stories that speak honestly about nuanced thoughts and emotions. Teens are extremely intelligent, and I think fiction that speaks to the complexities and contradictions of life is really important for that age group.
