#MMGM: Author Interview & Book Review: Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang
ABOUT THE BOOK
But she also has anxiety—serious anxiety, the kind that makes you scratch and pick—and she’s always had bad luck around the ocean. It’s hard to enjoy Hawaiian beaches when you’ve almost drowned more than once.
But as stranger and stranger things happen to Kaya around the sea, she realizes that—wanted or not—she has a special connection to it. Waves rise when she’s angry. Surf smooths when she’s calm. Fish come when she calls them. And when she learns the truth about her family and her divine ancestor, Mazu, she knows that she will need to connect with her most difficult emotions ASAP—or her potent powers may become dangerous to the people she loves.
Kaya of the Ocean is an exciting, fresh, and beautiful middle-grade fantasy about embracing who you really are. This heartfelt adventure of sun, surf, and sand touches on mental health, the immigrant experience, and the complexities of growing up.
.JPG) |
| Gloria L. Huang (provided by Beth Parker PR) |
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
*What is the "story behind the story"?
When I first started writing KAYA, the world was sort of just emerging from the pandemic, and a
lot of people were dealing with a significant amount of anxiety (including myself and children
very close to me). It was especially difficult watching some of these kids facing anxiety for the
first time, and I saw how hard on themselves they could be. I wanted to write a story in which
the main character struggled with anxiety but eventually learned that accepting all parts of
herself was part of her power and strength. That she was perfect the way she was, even with
what she saw as her imperfections.
I came up with this story idea while staring out at the ocean on a Hawaiian beach at night, which
inspired the setting. I also wanted to weave in parts of my family’s cultural history, which are
hidden in the story (especially in the flashbacks to Kaya’s ancestors). As for Mazu, I had been
fascinated with her for a while—she’s such an amazing character in Chinese mythology. I really
wanted to write a story in which her powers are transferred on to an anxious girl in a modern
setting.
*What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
Ooh, I have to pick just one? Can I sneak in two?
I would say one of the biggest changes since the first draft involves Kaya’s mom. As many
people with immigrant Asian mothers can confirm, Asian mothers often love as strictly as they
do fiercely, and their love often walks a fine line between the two. In early versions of the book, I
received some feedback from my readers that Kaya’s mom seemed unlikeable, almost cruel. I
was horrified—that’s not at all how I meant to write her! So I worked to soften her to make sure
her love for Kaya shone through.
The other major change was Kaya’s relationship with Taiyo—in the first drafts, there was a little
more “crushing” than there is now. I reworked their relationship to make it more platonic,
because I didn’t want it to compete with Kaya’s friendships with Iolana and Naomi. In many
ways, they’re the true loves of her life, and they help her realize how much stronger she is when
she realizes she’s not alone.
*If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick?
I’d love to write a spin-off about Yujin, Luna’s ancestor who stole away from China to San
Francisco during the gold rush and pretended to be a boy in order to work to make money for
her family. She only appears in a brief flashback in which she discovers her inherited water
powers, but in earlier drafts of the book, Yujin’s section was much longer and more detailed. I’d
love to explore her backstory and what happened in her life to bring her to that point, and where
she went after.
*If I could travel anywhere, I would go ....
To Japan! I went there for the first time this year, and it was such a unique, creative, immersive
place with such warm and welcoming people. It was like nowhere I’d been before, and I was so
inspired by its natural beauty and stunning manmade wonders.
*What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Ooh, I love this question! I have a lot of things in my writing space that make me feel like a
“real” writer, including my obnoxiously loud typewriter keyboard and my collection of fountain
pens and wax seals (I’ve never met a stationery store I didn’t like). I also have some KAYA art,
including a beautiful art piece I had commissioned and a miniature bookshelf with a tiny KAYA
book on it. All of these things bring inspiration and focus to my work by reminding me of the
ultimate goal: to write, to tell important stories, to bring the characters I dream to life.
Thank you to Gloria L. Huang for stopping by Geo Librarian. It's fun to learn about the person behind the book.
REVIEW
Kaya of the Ocean combines the lush beauty of Hawaii with Chinese mythology and a strong dose of coming of age angst. Kaya, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, struggles with severe anxiety. But after an early attempt at getting help from her parents failed, she's kept that struggle to herself, coping by scratching where no once can see the damage, and finding solace in her closet. Things take a turn for the worse when a strange event while surfing throws Kaya into a tailspin. Did she really call a tunafish that knocked a friend off his board? Did she really manage to control the ocean waves long enough to get him to shore? And did she really pull the water from his lungs to save him from drowning? She doesn't want to believe she has water powers, especially since she isn't all that fond of surfing or being in the water, going back to a traumatic event in her childhood and ongoing visions of a young girl reaching for a white blanket.
As Kaya struggles with her growing anxiety and these new questions about herself, she does manage to help her parents at their restaurant and enjoy hanging out with her best friends, Iolana and Naomi. But the arrival of her aunt and cousin brings things to a head as Kaya must share her room with her cousin, who used to be a friend, but now seems rude and standoffish. Glimpses into the lives of some of her ancestors leads readers to discover (long before Kaya does) that Kaya has connections to the Chinese Water Goddess, Mazu. As the pressure inside her builds, Kaya must find a way to cope with her anxiety and her growing powers, but can she really do it all alone?
Kaya's struggles really touched my heart. It was truly heart-breaking to read about her anxious thoughts and personal struggles. The magical elements provide an interesting plot point, but the true strength of the book lies in Kaya's changing relationships with the people in her life and how they help her, once she lets them in on what's happening. The setting felt so real, I almost felt like I was there (I certainly wanted to be). An enjoyable, thoughtful look at the challenges of growing up, and what it might actually be like to have powers. Highly recommended.
Comments
Post a Comment