92 TIME January 31/February 7, 2022
TIME OFF BOOKS
INTERVIEW
A BLOODY
LOVE STORY
Some will know Dana Schwartz
as the host of the Noble Blood
podcast, where she tells stories
of royals past; others through
the parody Twitter account
@ GuyInYourMFA, which she
started as a college student
in 2013. There are also her
books—among them her
globetrotting YA debut And
We’re Off and a misadventure-
fi lled memoir, Choose Your
Own Disaster.
Her latest, a YA novel
that mixes the historical and
supernatural, is the romance
Schwartz wanted to read when
she was growing up, complete
with an ambitious heroine, a
swoony fi rst love and plenty
of gore. Anatomy: A Love
Story follows Hazel Sinnett, a
noblewoman in 1817 Edinburgh
who dreams of becoming a
surgeon. In need of cadavers
to study, she teams up with
resurrection man Jack Currer
to practice on the dead and
living alike. But as live patients
begin arriving with missing
limbs , Hazel and Jack realize
there’s a sinister force at work
in the city.
Anatomy may technically
be a romance, but the real love
story is between Hazel and
surgery. That’s just one of the
notes Schwartz hits that feels
a little more earnest than the
snarky writer who fi rst broke out
on Twitter. “I’m writing for my
teenage self, and part of being a
teenager is this weird optimism
that you can do anything in
the world,” Schwartz says.
“That’s the feeling I’m trying to
capture.” —Simmone ShahThe author of A Little Life
returns with returns with To Paradise,To Paradise, a a
doorstopping novel split into doorstopping novel split into
three sections, each focused three sections, each focused
on a different era—and on a different era—and
version—of America.version—of America.The third section of The third section of To To
ParadiseParadise envisions a world envisions a world
facing rolling pandemics. facing rolling pandemics.
What do you make of people What do you make of people
referring to it as a “pandemic referring to it as a “pandemic
novel”?novel”? It’s not It’s not notnot a pandemic a pandemic
novel. Ultimately, if it’s predictive novel. Ultimately, if it’s predictive
at all, it’s less about the pandemic at all, it’s less about the pandemic
and more about the questions and more about the questions
that many of us are asking that many of us are asking
ourselves as Americans at this ourselves as Americans at this
moment. Who gets to write the moment. Who gets to write the
history of America, and who gets history of America, and who gets
to remember it?to remember it?Many of the characters Many of the characters
share the same name. What share the same name. What
drew you to that decision?drew you to that decision?
Humans always think we’re the Humans always think we’re the
ones who are writing our names ones who are writing our names
upon history, but what if it’s the upon history, but what if it’s the
opposite? What if history is opposite? What if history is
actually writing its names upon actually writing its names upon
us? The worlds change and us? The worlds change and
the circumstances change, but the circumstances change, but
the characters and what they the characters and what they
want—that they want to be loved want—that they want to be loved
and to love someone—remain and to love someone—remain
the same. The human condition the same. The human condition
remains unaltered, no matter the remains unaltered, no matter the
circumstances or the era.circumstances or the era.Your second novel Your second novel A Little A Little
LifeLife was a massive best was a massive best
seller, but it also seemed seller, but it also seemed
like readers either loved it like readers either loved it
or hated it. How did it feel or hated it. How did it feel
to wade through all that to wade through all that
feedback?feedback? When you aren’t When you aren’t
reading comments, you’re not on reading comments, you’re not on
Twitter or Facebook, you’re not Twitter or Facebook, you’re not
reading reviews and you’re not reading reviews and you’re not
on Goodreads, you really don’t on Goodreads, you really don’t
hear a lot about it. Very rarely will hear a lot about it. Very rarely willsomeone take the time to send someone take the time to send
you a mean note. Some people you a mean note. Some people
do like to get more involved with do like to get more involved with
the reception of their books, but the reception of their books, but
my feeling is the reader can react my feeling is the reader can react
however he or she wants.however he or she wants.You’re also the editor in chief You’re also the editor in chief
of of T: The New York Times Style T: The New York Times Style
Magazine.Magazine. Has your editorial Has your editorial
perspective changed over the perspective changed over the
past two years, with all the past two years, with all the
constant devastation we’ve constant devastation we’ve
been living through?been living through? Not really. Not really.
At the heart, I’m not a cynical At the heart, I’m not a cynical
person. I hope I don’t seem cynical person. I hope I don’t seem cynical
on the pages of the magazine or in on the pages of the magazine or in
the pages of this book. Once you the pages of this book. Once you
start becoming cynical, you stop start becoming cynical, you stop
engaging with the world around you engaging with the world around you
because you feel that there’s no because you feel that there’s no
point. An artist and an editor has to point. An artist and an editor has to
be able to do so with energy and a be able to do so with energy and a
sense of curiosity. sense of curiosity.
——Annabel Gutterman Annabel GuttermanQUICK TALK
Hanya Yanagihara is no cynicINTERVIEWSIAN DAVEY—THE GUARDIAN/EYEVINE/REDUXYanagihara’s follow-up
to to A Little LifeA Little Life
examines Americaexamines America▷