Heroes and villains: We use these words to describe people, but how do we make the determination of which is which… and when? Premee Mohamed is thinking about this in One Message Remains, and in this Big Idea for the story collection, is offering some insights on when and where the line between them is drawn.
PREMEE MOHAMED:
Anyway, because I am so extremely suave, the first time an interviewer asked, “So, what do you think the themes of this book are?” I entered a state of horrified paralysis for long enough that she eventually added, “Sorry, I think your internet has cut out? You seem to be frozen.” (My internet was fine.)
Since then, I’ve tried strenuously, with varying degrees of success, to think of the Big Idea in my fiction before one of those interviewers (or, say, an undergraduate creative writing class) asks me about it. For my upcoming mini-collection One Message Remains, I settled on: the idea of the social contract.
I didn’t grow up with the term ‘the social contract,’ or even ‘the golden rule.’ I grew up with “Do what you’re told.” (This is a widespread variation on the social contract in my family.)
Unsurprisingly, this approach does not reliably produce confident kids, self-assured adults, or independent thinkers. It has successfully produced numerous anxiety disorders, a couple of busted marriages, and at least one writer.
