What The Valley Knows

What The Valley Knows has several important themes: first love, bullying, teen alcoholism, self-image, and sexual assault. The themes became more evident the more I got to know my characters and the more the story evolved. I’d say the characters beget the themes. My hope is the #metoo movement makes my book a timely read. What The Valley Knows fell into the YA genre by accident. Initially, it was told from six points of view: four adults, and two teenagers. The novel was my creative thesis in my MFA program and as I worked through revisions, the points of view whittled to three: two high school seniors (Molly Hanover and her boyfriend Wade Thornton) and one adult (Molly’s mother Ann Hanover). The book straddles the line between YA and adult fiction, but ultimately if it must be put in a box, I’d stick it in the YA container. My hope is that it appeals to both audiences.