If you’re like me, you still indulge in young adult literature from time to time, and there’s no one better than Gabrielle Zevin to transform a story about an adolescent character into a relatable and deep-cutting story for all ages. I first read her novel Elsewhere in 2007, about a teenager who is killed in a hit and run accident and must adjust to life in heaven while observing the impact of her death on her family below. It was one of the first novels to get me to read for fun beyond the Harry Potter series.
A Harvard graduate, Zevin has published eight novels in 22 different languages. Her screenplay Conversations with Other Women was produced and starred Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for a Best First Screenplay.
This June, she will be a part of the line-up for the Printer’s Row Literary Festival, a line-up that includes names such as James Patterson and Andrew Zimmern, of the Travel Channel show “Bizzare Foods.” She will mostly likely be promoting her new adult novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry about a mysterious bookstore and its owner. She is one of the few young adult authors attending, understandably since the event’s audience is primarily adults, which is a testament to the power of her novels to transcend their designated age range. Check her out June 7th-8th.
