Tahereh Mafi: Shatter Me Q&A Part 2

Today, we present part 2 of our four-part, exclusive Q&A with Shatter Me author Tahereh Mafi!

There are so many issues of trust in SHATTER ME. What is that leads Juliette to so quickly distrust Warner, but so easily trust Castle?

Well, I think Warner’s actions definitely speak for themselves; he does some particularly terrible things not only to the people around him, but to Juliette as well. I’m not sure anyone would find him trustworthy.

And Juliette has her doubts about Castle, just like she does everyone else. She’s excited about the possibilities – the potential for change – that she discovers at the end of the book, but she’s not sure about the people, not yet. You’ll learn more about her experiences with Castle (and everyone else) in Book 2.

Dystopian fiction is kind of flooding the bookshelves these days. So to those naysayers whose first instinct is to cringe away from any new dystopian fiction, what would you say to convince them that SHATTER ME is different? What sets it apart?

I’m not sure I know how to answer that question. Books are subjective; a book one person might want to throw across the room is the very same that’s changed another person’s life. So if someone is cringing at the thought of reading another dystopian novel, I think I’d encourage them to read something else. I’d never try to force it on anyone.

There are sort of two main threads that I saw throughout SHATTER ME: Juliette’s acceptance (and ownership) of her gift, and the love story with Adam. Which came first and how did the rest develop?

The two threads are interconnected; they evolved together. Juliette had been so broken and berated by the world that she’d come to accept herself as little more than a monster. Finding love and acceptance transformed her; it gave her hope that she could lead a different life, and, maybe, find a way to live with what she’s done.

Thanks, Tahereh!