Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of the new young adult novel Finding Normal. Her other books include August and Everything After. She lives in New Jersey.
Q: In your new book’s Author’s Note, you write, “This book is very personal for me. I’ve spent years working on it and have put my heart into every word.” Can you say more about the inspiration for Finding Normal?
A: Other fictional books I've read that deal with the subject of eating disorders all felt so hopeless and focused mostly on the downward spiral, not the recovery.
I wanted to focus on people. To put a face on one of the deadliest mental illnesses without dragging the reader into the depths of the disease.
I liked the idea putting two teens, who’ve been told they’re anything but normal, in an old Chevy Impala and sending them on a road trip to find Normal. Literally.
It was my hope that by spending time on the road with Gemma and Lucas—and the baby raccoon they find along the way—readers would come to understand that they didn’t choose to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they are not defined by a disease. They want what so many of us want, to feel normal, accepted, and worthy of love.
Q: How did you create your characters Gemma and Lucas, and how would you describe the dynamic between them?
A: For Gemma, I drew on my own experiences and my complicated relationship with food and disordered eating. Because there is a misconception that eating disorders only affect white girls of a certain socioeconomic background, I wanted to have a male character in the book.
Weight restrictions are such a big part of high school wrestling so I knew Lucas would be a wrestler with his own misconceptions about eating disorders.
Gemma and Lucas have different strengths, which in turn, make the other stronger. Lucas helps Gemma laugh and Gemma helps Lucas to see the severity of his disease. Ultimately, the friendship, trust, and love that builds between them during their road trip leads them both toward recovery.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The teen years can be incredibly complicated, a time in life when "normal" may seem out of reach. Also, Gemma in particular had been told over and over again that she's not-so-normal. She also feels like "skinny" is a place--one she needs to get to.
Starting from that point, I began to wonder if "normal" was a place too and what would make these two characters try so hard to get there. It signifies that impulse in all of us to pursue often unrealistic ideals about what would make our lives better, instead of turning inward and giving ourselves some grace.
Q: The writer Holly Schindler said of the book, “If only getting where you wanted to be in life could be as easy as pointing to a spot on the map and following an already-laid-out course. But Lucas and Gemma teach us that such a journey is important, to a great extent, because each one of us has to chart the path ourselves.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think this description is spot-on! The road to recovery is different for everyone and very often, it's not a straight path.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I'm working on two novels simultaneously, something I've never done before. Both are adult novels. One is a rom com, the other is dystopian.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Finding Normal is on sale now wherever books are sold. Links can be found on my website www.jendoktorski.com, where you can also find out more about me and my other books. The special edition hardcover of Finding Normal is only available through my publisher. https://regal-house-publishing.mybigcommerce.com/finding-normal/
Thank you so much for this interview, Deborah!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Jennifer Salvato Doktorski.
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