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YA Book Prize shortlist: Cynthia So discusses If You Still Recognise Me
Caroline CarpenterCaroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio ...more
Cynthia So answers our questions about If You Still Recognise Me (Little Tiger), a queer love story about finding yourself, which has been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2023.
Caroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio ...more
How would you describe your book to someone who hasn’t read it?
Elsie Lo has a crush on Ada, a friend she met online through fandom. They’ve never seen each other in real life, because Ada lives an ocean away. The summer before university, Elsie hatches a grand plan to win over Ada – by going on a search for Ada’s grandma’s long-lost best friend. Along the way, Elsie reunites with her own long-lost best friend, and things don’t quite go according to plan…
The vibes: a summer romance with lots of messy queer feelings, family secrets and food.
What inspired the story?
I was inspired by some delightful stories I read on social media, of people finding their older relatives’ diaries and discovering that their relatives might have been queer.
Also, I had lots of crushes on people I met online as a teenager, and I wanted to write about the way these crushes can inspire you and change your whole life, whether or not they’re reciprocated.
Which character in the book is your favourite, and why?
Joan. She’s the sort of character I needed to see in books and media growing up. I really struggled with feeling like I had to be feminine for many years of my life, and it actually helped me a great deal to write a female character who is masculine, and whose masculinity is celebrated and seen as beautiful. And I love her calming presence. It was a joy to write her.
What does being on this year’s YA Book Prize shortlist mean to you?
It means the world! I remember the first ever YA Book Prize being announced in 2014. I was a book blogger back then and it seemed like a really exciting new prize championing UKYA. I had a lot of fun trying to read as much of that shortlist as I could, and the winner that year, Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill, left such a deep impression on me. I’m honoured to be shortlisted for a prize won by so many incredible authors through the years, authors I truly admire. I hope that being on this shortlist will help my book find its way to more readers who need it.
What’s the best thing about writing for young adults?
I spent a long time thinking about whether I wanted my first book to be for adults or young adults. And I realised that books were the most life-changing to me as a teenager. I still find books extremely impactful now, but as a teen, books made such a massive difference and gave me so much hope at times when I was deeply unsure of myself and of the future. They showed me I was not alone, when I felt very alone. And I wanted to do the same for other teenagers out there. So it’s the best thing when I get teenage readers reaching out to tell me how my book made them feel seen, or cheered them up during a tough time.
What was your favourite book as a teenager?
Sprout by Dale Peck. I still think about it every now and again. It’s a deeply moving book with such a unique voice, about a gay teenage boy who dyes his hair green and loves words and writing.
Also, I was obsessed with every single book by David Levithan that I could get my hands on.
What’s your top writing tip?
Really think about why you want to tell a particular story and let it motivate and inform your writing throughout. A novel is usually a very long and difficult journey, and when you’re in the middle of it, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. So for me it’s important to identify at the outset what it is about that story that truly matters to me, and keep coming back to that as I write.
What do you need around you when you’re writing?
Minimal distractions, comfortable surroundings and a cup of tea.
What songs would be on a playlist for your book?
"Solid" by MUNA and "Graffiti" by CHVRCHES.
Which book, film or TV show would you recommend to someone who enjoyed your book?
I’ll do a book, a film, and a television show!
Book: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.
Film: "Saving Face", directed by Alice Wu.
TV show: an anime (also a manga series) called "Bloom Into You", which fuelled a lot of my feelings about queer teen girls getting to meet happy queer adults while I was writing my book.
