Girl at War

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by Sara Nović

​Hi Sara,
 
How would you introduce yourself in a few words?

I mean, “Hi, I’m Sara” is what I usually say. But other things that tend to come up early are being deaf, introverted, clumsy, a bit of a nerd, and having a very cute dog.
 
How did you start writing and what keeps you inspired?

Photo: courtesy of the artist

When I was in elementary school, my teachers were concerned that there might be something wrong with me because I was so quiet (diagnosis: introvert) and wanted my mom to take me to be evaluated. Instead my mom got me a journal and forced me to sit at the kitchen table and write in it. At first I just wrote things like, this journal is so stupid! But eventually it became a habit and something I enjoyed. I learned to process my feelings that way, and writing became synonymous with thinking.

​Girl at War specifically I started writing as a short story in college. I had family and friends who’d lived through the war, but most people I encountered didn’t know it had even happened, which frustrated me. So even in its early stages Girl at War was an attempt to get people to empathize with others and understand an unfamiliar war, and empathy is still a big motivator for me in all of my work.
 
Do Ana in ‘Girl at War’ and Sara have much in common?

I think Ana and I view the world in a similar way, particularly in the ways we respond to conflict and interact with people. I also often have this feeling of being between two worlds, which is something that Ana struggles with and doesn’t so much overcome as accept, so that was an important part of her character for me.
 
You’re the Winner of American Library Association’s Alex Award and a Finalist of LA Times Book Prize and Goodreads Choice Awards. How does it feel to see your name on lists of prestigious publications such as these?

Seeing my name pretty much anywhere makes me want to hide! But this is a good kind of embarrassment, certainly. I’m so happy that readers have connected with something in Girl at War, and they often write me to say they’re researching more about the war, which is the best kind of reward.
 

Animated promo for the Dutch translation of Girl at War, (Wie het mooist valt). ​Illustration ​by Olga Van Den Brandt. 

​What’s the best advice you’ve received and shared in trying to remain a Believer despite the numerous challenges along the way?

I think often about the James Wood quote, “Narrative secrets are not the same as human mysteries.” It’s great craft advice--not to rely on tricks, but to focus on pursuing larger truths-- and I think it translates into art/life in general, too.
 
We have a new feature on our magazine #BeatTheBlues. What do you do to overcome sadness and/or depression? Is there a song, a book or a place that you return to bring back the light in your frame?

I still go straight to my journal if I’m really upset. I do love music, too, and grew up in a musical household, where we had more tapes and CDs than books; I spent a lot of time reading album liner notes, so I’ve always been interested in songs as carriers of narratives. And as a Deaf person, I appreciate anything with a good bass line.
 
You’re an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Stockton University. What do you tell your students about the many opportunities and challenges that await them? What do you see as the most hopeful features in younger generations? 

To my writing students I often say “pain into power” as a way of harnessing what makes us hurt and making that struggle productive. My students are already quite good at this. They’re growing up in turbulent times. I think this has given them a certain natural capacity for activism should they choose to use it. My students at Stockton in particular are very open-minded, and to me that’s perhaps the most valuable trait in a student (or a person in general). At least, you can’t be a writer without being willing to change your mind. That makes me hopeful for the future, particularly in juxtaposition with the narrow mindedness we see on the political scene today.
 
When would have been your favorite time to live in?

I think most people feels a certain nostalgia for the time they were in middle school (though not for middle school itself!). I’ve been thinking a lot about how technology has transformed our thought processes, our memories, our ability to be bored, which is a really important thing for a writer. I miss that.

You’re also a deaf rights’ activist. What are your main activities and what are some of the most problematic issues that this community faces? 

I do a lot of writing articles just to get information out to correct misinformed perspectives on Deafness, cochlear implants, and the way that deaf and disabled people are viewed as “broken” by mainstream society. I also like visiting schools for the Deaf and talking to kids about the importance of reading and writing Deaf stories. And I write a lot of angry letters to my congress people these days.
 
Who is your favorite writer? What about your favorable book? And why?

Zadie Smith is probably my favorite writer, if I only got to pick one, because I find her fiction and nonfiction work equally compelling, which is rare. There’s no way I can pick a favorite book, so I’m just going to plug another writer, Elena Ferrante, who does amazing things with internality and the passage of time in parallel narratives.
 
What is the most beautiful word you don’t use enough?

I rarely ever get to say “panoply” but it’s a lovely one.

Girl at War is out from Random House  and​ Little, Brown UK, and is available or forthcoming in 13 more languages. 
You can buy it HERE