Connecticut author Chandra Prasad explores conflicts between teen girls in new YA novel of contrasts in race, gender and time
Chandra Prasad’s new book “Mercury Boys” is about a biracial 16-year-old named Saskia who can’t relate to the kids at the high school in the small Connecticut town she’s just moved to. A school assignment leads to even wilder fish-out-of-water situations.
Prasad was born and raised in North Haven, attended Yale as an undergraduate and left the state for a while before returning to live first in Hamden and now Woodbridge.
In “Mercury Boys,” Saskia meets Lila, who has an internship in the Western Connecticut State University library. An interest in old daguerreotype photographs they find at the university allows them to talk to boys from the past.
Chandra Prasad spoke to the Courant about writing for young adults and about some of the recurring themes in her work — including a lot of Connecticut locales.
What would you call what happens in “Mercury Boys”? Time travel?
It’s not quite time travel. It’s historic images seeping into contemporary life. The story is pretty much set in the present. I love history, and I love researching. This all began for me 8 or 10 years when I saw a photo of a real-life guy, Robert Cornelius, who was in the media spotlight because a photo he had taken of himself in 1839 was being called ‘the first selfie.’ I read more about Robert Cornelius, and he was so interesting I had to start reading more about toxic chemists.
You need mercury to develop daguerreotypes. I became very interested in the history of mercury, how people believe it does all these magical things.
I’d call the novel ‘low fantasy’ or ‘speculative’ fiction. But it’s really about female adolescents, conflicts among young girls and the problems they can be susceptible to. One thread of the book is: What these girls are experiencing, is it real or not?
How did you decide on Western Connecticut State University as where Saskia and Lila find the daguerreotypes?
I threw that in there. I just picked a college. I just didn’t want to go with Yale, which is the one you might usually pick for something like that. One of my earlier books was set at Yale.
Most of my books have some connection to Connecticut. In this one, Saskia and Lila go to downtown New Haven. There’s a fictional spot they stop at, but some landmarks are mentioned.
The town the book is set in, Coventon, is not real. The name is kind of a nod to witches and covens.
Most of your books deal with multicultural situations.
I’m half-Asian and half-white. One thing I noticed when I was growing up reading books was that I did not encounter multiracial characters, so I made that a priority in my own books. Eight to 10% of children in the U.S. are multiracial, but less than 1% of Young Adult novels have multiracial characters.
When did you become a Young Adult novelist?
This is my seventh novel. I transitioned a few years ago from general fiction to Young Adult.
My previous Young Adult novel is “Damselfly,” which shares some similarities with “Lord of the Flies.” There is an interest now in twin or parallel texts: modern books, which better reflect the population of today, that that reference classic works. It can lead the modern readers to also read the classics. “Damselfly” is in a lot of schools. Every year I talk to a few dozen schools.
“Mercury Boys” isn’t based on another book. It’s an original story. It’s also a one-off, not part of a series.
I really like writing Young Adult books, especially interacting with my audience. Kids ask great questions. They don’t hold back.
On Monday, Aug. 23, R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison, will be hosting a hybrid live/virtual event for “Mercury Boys.” Chandra Prasad will be present in the store from 6 to 7 p.m. for a conventional in-person booksigning, then stay for a conversation about the book with Karen Schumann, RJ Julia’s Young Adult event manager. To register for the event, or for more information, visit rjjulia.com.
Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.
