Thanks A Lot, Universe: Q & A with author Chad Lucas

 

Yesterday I reviewed Chad Lucas's debut novel

 Thanks a Lot, Universe.

 

Thanks a Lot, Universe

Written by Chad Lucas

Amulet Books (Abrams)

978-1-4197-5102-8

288 pp.

Ages 10-14

May 2021

Reviewed here

Today, I have the pleasure of presenting this Q & A 

with author Chad Lucas.

Helen Kubiw:  Thanks a Lot, Universe is the essentially the story of two boys. I love the idea of the story lines of Brian and Ezra being like two different orbital paths, generally oblivious to the other, with only the occasional crossing until they blend in a new relationship. Why choose to write their story in two voices rather than one omniscient voice that tells the stories of both boys?

 

Chad Lucas:  Brian and Ezra both wrestle in different ways with how they see themselves, and how they think others see them. Writing from their alternating perspectives felt like the best way to explore how there’s often a gap between our perceptions and reality. At first, neither boy realizes how much they’ve already had an impact on the other, until their stories begin to converge.

HK:  Most authors build their characters from bits of people they have known. Sometimes they are composites of many, and sometimes they are reflective of a single individual. Who are Brian and Ezra to you?

 

CL:  This book isn’t autobiographical, but there are pieces of me in both Brian and Ezra, and especially Ezra. He looks a lot like I did at his age, and it meant a lot to me the first time I saw him on the cover—although he’s much more assured than I was at thirteen. I also coach youth basketball, so I drew on watching kids talk and joke with each other to inspire some of the dialogue in this book. And of course, a lot of it is purely fictional. 

HK:  It’s rare to have a parent character to have participated in criminal activity without them being either nasty and violent or a joke. Brian’s dad is very human, capable of making mistakes and trying to run from them. Why did you decide to make him involved in the “cannabis production and distribution business”? 

 

CL:  This book is set about a year before cannabis became legal in Canada, and even now that it’s legal there are plenty of moral issues around who gets to profit (usually wealthy white people) and who’s still being punished (often people of colour). I didn’t have the space in this book to do a deep dive on the justice system, but I did want Brian’s dad to exist in this grey area with more nuance than “illegal activity = villain.” Most people aren’t “good” or “bad.” We’re all capable of loving and doing harm. Brian’s dad loves his family and wants to provide for them, but his choices have ripple effects. 

HK:  Brian’s social anxiety is interpreted differently by those with whom he interacts. Some see it as shyness, the nastier ones call him a freak. Worse yet is how hard Brian is on himself, calling it his Super Awkward Weirdo Syndrome (SAWS). He can overthink things and berate himself, often demonstrating a fatalism that is sad to see in one so young. Thankfully Brian does find some support, even if tenuous at first. Though I would not expect you to offer the psychological support young people with social anxiety might need, what would be one tidbit you might offer to show encouragement?

 

CL:  Thanks for including that disclaimer, because I’m definitely not a trained professional! But you’ve already named something I hope readers take away: we’re often hardest on ourselves, and sometimes we need to trust other people to help us get out of our own heads. I remember times even as a kid when I’d lie awake second-guessing myself or agonizing over something that felt like a massive failure but ended up far less of a big deal than I made it out to be. Brian does encounter kids who pick on his perceived weaknesses, which is unfortunately reality sometimes, but he also meets people who have much more kindness and grace for him than he’s expecting, and they help him see differently. 

HK:  While Brian would never be considered an optimist, I probably wouldn’t call him a pessimist. He’s more a realist, recognizing that life isn’t always easy and there will be things that happen that are unfair. However, his dad’s advice, that he should “Brace yourself and kick right back” (pg. 84), may not seem very wise at first though it does give Brian a push to be less intimidated.  Do you think that advice tells us more about Brian or his dad?

 

CL:  I love this question. I think the advice itself says a lot about Brian’s dad. I have a whole backstory for him in my head going back to his own teenage years, and I could only include a fraction of it in the book, but I think this line reflects how he learned to navigate the world. But without spoiling too much, Brian has to figure out if what worked for his dad will actually work for him… and his dad has to rethink a few things too.

HK:  Thanks a Lot, Universe is very much a coming-of-age story in which two boys face different challenges involved with learning who they are and can be. Why write this story?

 

CL:  I can still remember what it’s like to wrestle with those enormous questions of identity at that age. And without being too heavy-handed about it, I wanted to reflect that it’s OK for boys to be complex and emotional. Even a star basketball player like Gabe, one of my supporting characters, displays a sensitive side and helps Brian learn how to face some of his own fears. Sometimes boys need permission and safe places to drop the mask and be vulnerable, and I think books can help create that space.

HK:  Music is an important component in Thanks a Lot, Universe, with Ezra DJing and sharing music with Brian. What would be the playlists for Brian, for Ezra and for the two boys’ relationship?

 

CL:  I was asked this recently for a book festival I’m participating in at the end of May, and I made a playlist of songs that either show up in the book in some form or make me think of the characters. One song Brian and Ezra bond over is “Wolf Like Me” by TV On The Radio, which is about becoming a werewolf—and liking it. It’s a killer rock song, but it also felt like a fitting metaphor about embracing the things that make you different. As my book’s tagline says, Be Brave. Be Real. Be Weird. 

Thanks a Lot, Universe - the playlist by Chad Lucas on Spotify

 

HK:  Though you don’t actually end Thanks a Lot, Universe tied up with a perfect happy resolution, you offer hope that things will be okay and maybe Brian will have a good year after all. Why leave things open? 

 

CL:  Brian and his family go through some genuine struggles in this book, and I don’t think a tidy happily-ever-after would have felt realistic or satisfying to young readers. I respect that middle graders are incredibly savvy, and some of them have been through situations like Brian experiences, or worse. I wanted to end with some hope, but I wouldn’t dare talk down to kids by implying that everything always resolves itself in the end. And besides that, I might want to revisit these characters someday!

• • • • • • •

Many thanks to Chad Lucas 

for answering my questions 

(and especially for the short turnaround time given him) 

and sharing about Brian and Ezra 

and the world that is Thanks a Lot, Universe.

 

Thanks also to Rachel Wehniainen, Publicist at Manda Group, 

for facilitating this interview.  

• • • • • • •