Tag: BEREFT

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New review of Bereft

Critic Amos Lassen says of Bereft,

There is no happy ending here and I doubt there ever will be if we do not live up to our responsibilities to make the world a better place for everyone. I suspect that there is a lot of the author’s own life here but even if there is not, I believe we can all agree that we do not yet live in a world that is free of racism and homophobia. It is surprising that we have to be reminded of that. If we do have to be reminded, I am glad that it is Craig Gidney’s powerful and beautiful prose.

Read the whole review.

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Glass Angels in my #yalit #novel BEREFT

Glass Angel

Angels are a leitmotif in Bereft. Rafe’s mom, Ursele, begins to obsessively collecting glass angel figurines, believing that they are guarding her against “dark energy.” To Rafe, her collection takes on a sinister meaning. His mother likes the angels a little too much….and begins speaking to them.
Above is a picture of one the glass angels I imagine would be in Ursele’s collection.

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The meaning of the Dan Mask in my #yalit #novel Bereft

Dan_Mask_7Hugex

The Dan Mask features prominently in my YA novel BEREFT. According to the Dan traditions (they live in Liberia), the mask allows the wearer to access the spiritual realm. Rafe’s father, Samuel, owns a mall kiosk that sells African masks. Samuel is very knowledgeable about masks and the spiritual meanings behind them. Rafe looks up to his father, who has had difficulties, legally and financially—and he admires his father for finally achieving some stability. So, in a way, the mask represents his father. The mask, which is gifted to Rafe by his father, also spurs Rafe’s interest in finding out more about African folklore.

Rafe finds out that masks not only hide who your are; but some masks, like the Dan mask, can also reveal things about oneself as well.

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“Bereft” Featured in the Advocate’s list of 16 Great Books to Read This Week #yalit #advocate

I’m excited and honored that Bereft is included in the Advocate’s list of 16 Great Books to Read This Week.

They write:

 Bereft — the latest young adult novel from Victoria Brownworth’s fledgling and impressive Tiny Satchel Press — takes a brutally honest pass at a 14 year-old’s battle with racism, bullying, and homphobia and makes us look forward to the next book debut author Craig L. Gidney.

Take a look at the list!

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Blurbs for my forthcoming novel Bereft!

I got the go-ahead from the publisher to post these blurbs for BEREFT.

“Gidney has crafted a beautifully assured and insightful debut novel detailing the heightened surreality and emotionalism of teenage life. This book is full of heartbreak, humor, and most importantly a deep humane sense of empathy.”—William Johnson, editor, Lambda Literary Review and publisher of Mary Literary Quarterly

“Craig Gidney’s debut novel, Bereft, shows the vicious and often violent underside of junior high with boys being boys: hurting each other every way they can to see who survives and who doesn’t. Gidney gets it right–the sexual tensions, bullying, surprising friendships. Rafe is a character everyone can relate to.” –Greg Herren, 2011 Moonbeam Award Gold Medal recipient for Sleeping Angel
The publication has been slightly delayed–expect to see it in mid to late February.
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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

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What is the [working] title of your next book?

 BEREFT

Where did the idea come from for the book?

 The book is an expansion of a short story I wrote for an anthology called FROM WHERE WE SIT: Black Writers Write Black Youth. The story deals the psychological effects of bullying and being in the closet and racism. So, in a way, the ‘idea’ of the book came from me re-visiting my 14 year old self.

 What genre does your book fall under?

 Realistic Young Adult Fiction.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

 Hmmm. Maybe Jaden Smith for the lead character.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

 14 Year Old Rafael Fannen wins a minority scholarship to Our Lady of the Woods school, where he must deal with bullies, racism and homophobia.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

 The book will be published by Tiny Satchel Press this January!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

 8 Months

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

 I would compare it to Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of A Mask and James Baldwin’s coming of age fiction.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

 People who read genre fiction will like that my hero, Rafael, is a book nerd, and compares everything to the various fantasy books he’s read. Inside references to Game of Thrones series and the Narnia books abound.

Please check out the other folks who tagged me.

 M.E. Burroughs

Catherine Lundoff