Questions About Grand & Humble

Why a mystery?

Well, I received a really good reaction to The Last Chance Texaco, my book about a group home that also had an element of mystery in it.  So I decided why not go all the way, and write a full-fledged mystery?  Of course, Grand & Humble is really more of a psychological mystery, which is another way of saying there are no dead bodies. 

The novel has quite a twist at the end!  What was the inspiration for that?

In my opinion, there’s nothing so unsatisfying as an unsatisfying mystery.  I was determined not to disappoint.  I figured teenagers especially would get a big kick out of this particular ending.

For the record, I don’t think writing for teenagers is any great mystery.  I don’t think they’re typically fans of the “quiet” novel with the ambiguous ending.  In an era of media bombardment, it may take more to move or surprise most teenagers, but I think they still hunger for a strong sense of resolution. 

I don't think I "got" the ending. Can you spell it out for me?

The critic from VOYA said the ending is "ambiguous," which tells me he or she didn't get it. I tried very, very hard to make it very, very clear (and once you know the ending, you'll think it's clear too!). But it does require you think a little bit outside the box. As far as I know, no book or movie has ever ended this way before.

Still confused? Click here. (But if you haven't read the book yet, don't peek!)

The book has a number of “clues” along the way.  Do you think anyone will guess the ending?

No one has so far.  The clues are there to build suspense, of course.  But I’ve also found an interesting thing about teenagers and books.  When they find one they like, they read it over and over, just like little kids do with picture books.  Teenagers tell me all the time that they finished my book, Geography Club, then immediately started reading it again.  Well, with Grand & Humble, they will definitely see things that they didn’t noticed the first time around.

The book is the story of two boys, one popular and one a geek.  What was the inspiration for that?

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of what makes one kid popular, and one kid not.  It’s really not just about looks.  There was one girl in my high school who was not at all conventionally attractive.  But all the guys talked like she was so hot, because she had somehow convinced the whole school that she was hot.  Likewise, there was one kid who, over the summer, lost all this weight and got a new haircut and wardrobe.  He came back that fall a completely different person.  Or did he?  In a few weeks, after the novelty wore off, he was no more popular than he had been before.

Harlan and Manny are polar opposites in so many ways.  And yet, in the ways that matter, they’re very much the same.  I’m not one of those people who believes that all people are the same underneath; I think some people are just plain jerks!  But I do think that how a person acts on the outside often has nothing to do with how he or she is on the inside.

Which teenager were you?  Grand or humble?

Ha!  Well, I was honestly somewhere between the two.  Like Harlan, I was a swimmer (the most valuable member on the team for four years in a row, I might add!).  But I was also pretty geeky; I was always working on some artsy project with my friends—movies, haunted houses, you name it.

Oh, hell, I guess maybe I was a lot closer to Manny than Harlan!

The novel contains a prominent deaf character.  What made you decide to include her?

As a kid, one of my friends was deaf, and when I was outlining the novel, I thought, “Well, why not?”  But then, of course, her deafness turned out to be quite integral to the plot.  I love it when that happens!

Of course once I decided to include the character, I had to try and get the details right.  So I talked to a number of sources, and had them read drafts of the book. It’s always dicey writing about under-represented minorities; the fewer existing portrayals there are, the more important each one is to the minorities in question.  Again, I tried hard not to disappoint.

Any problems from your publisher?

Not at all. They loved the idea. But during the revision process, a lot of different editors read the book, and one was concerned that writing out ASL, rather that using dialogue, was going to distract non-Deaf readers. Someone floated the idea of making the Deaf character a hearing character to make it more "readable," but I wasn't interested in that at all. And so far, the reaction from readers has been one hundred percent positive.

Will you sign my book?

Certainly. But rather than send me the book itself, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address below, and I'll send you a signed bookplate. I'll also include some other cool stuff too, so, hey, don't delay, free stuff here!

Brent Hartinger
PO Box 30542
Seattle WA 98113-0542

Be sure and include a note telling me which of my books you want a bookplate for, and who I should sign it to.

Folks outside the U.S., you don't need to stamp the envelope, but please include an "international reply coupon" (ask for them at your local post office).

I have to write an essay or book report on your book. What should I write about?

There are lots of good ideas in my Grand & Humble Discussion Guide

Go to Questions About The Last Chance Texaco

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