Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Alma Boucher is talking with C. Anne, author of The Gap.
FQ: The title, The Gap, suggests both a physical and emotional distance. How did you approach balancing these two interpretations, and which one was more central to your intention as a writer?
ANNE: The emotional distance and drastic difference in lifestyles on either side were central for me as a writer. The physical gap served to make that distance more visceral, but the intention was for the details to focus on what that distance symbolized—people living very different lifestyles and judging the “other” as wrong.
FQ: Many readers interpret the story as a reflection on human misunderstanding and emotional separation. To what extent was this theme intentionally embedded in the narrative?
ANNE: It was very intentional. I wanted the story to explore how a person can grow up in one culture or society and have a completely different view of the world than someone else growing up in another. And how those differences affect each person and create separation and judgement.
FQ: In your view, what does the “gap” ultimately represent in human relationships or society as a whole?
ANNE: The gap represents the distance between people who don’t take the time to understand someone with different beliefs or ideologies. That small gap can quickly become a huge rift, but ultimately we are all human and far more alike than we realize—if we just take the time to see things from another perspective.
FQ: Your characters experience moments of tension and vulnerability. How did you craft these emotional moments to feel authentic rather than forced?
ANNE: Honestly, I become my characters. I flesh them out in my head and have them interact with one another before writing a single word. My next step is to have them monologue on paper so I can get a true feel for who they are, how they speak, and their mannerisms. They become real to me—their emotions are real, and their needs and wants are real. After that, the rest just flows as I write.
FQ: Literature often mirrors reality. What aspects of modern life or human behavior were you hoping to critique or highlight through this story?
ANNE: The story began with a single spark centered around the truth the main characters, Astraea and Jas, eventually discover. But it quickly became much bigger than the idea it began as. I wanted to highlight how quickly humans judge those who are not like them and label them as “others,” which makes it easier to be hostile or unkind. Astraea and Jas, however, want to bridge that gap between their people and show that neither side is bad—just different.
FQ: Did you intend the ending of The Gap to provide closure, or did you deliberately leave room for ambiguity so readers could form their own interpretations?
ANNE: I left the ending ambiguous so the reader discovers the truth about what Astraea and Jas uncover at the same time they do. Even though the characters don’t fully grasp the implications, I hoped the last few sentences would click and create an “AHA!” moment for the reader. It also lets readers draw their own conclusions about what might happen next, while leaving room for a possible sequel.
FQ: When writing the story, were you more focused on delivering a moral message or simply presenting a realistic situation for readers to reflect on?
ANNE: There was no moral lesson intended as I wrote the book. I wanted the story to make readers think and try to see the bigger picture, but mostly I just wanted to entertain.
FQ: If readers walk away from The Gap remembering only one idea or emotion, what would you hope it is?
ANNE: That’s a hard one! The writing was intended to be fast-paced and keep the reader on the edge of their seat, needing to know more, just like Astraea and Jas. So that thrill of wondering what’s going to happen next—what is really going on here—and wanting to find answers and learn more is the feeling I hope stays with readers.
FQ: How do you think the meaning of the story might change if it were read in a different cultural or social context?
ANNE: I think it could be read by many different cultures and societies and still hold the same overall meaning—the same call not to be so quick to judge and to truly try to understand where someone else is coming from rather than labeling them as the enemy.
FQ: Looking back on the story now, has your own understanding of the “gap” changed since you first wrote it?
ANNE: When I first began writing the book, I wasn’t sure how the gap formed or why. Those details didn’t emerge until much later. I’m still working on fully fleshing them out because I want to include that backstory in the next book. The gap, both physical and metaphorical, ended up standing for much more than I initially realized.
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