Question: What inspired you to write BOY21?
Answer: BOY21 Inspiration Essay #1
Growing up, whenever I inquired about my heritage, my
grandfather would say, “You’re American.”
“But where did our ancestors come from?” I’d ask.
“You’re American.”
When
I pestered him, he’d say, “You don’t want to know. We descended from horse
thieves. Leave it at that.”
“Horse thieves?”
“You’re American.”
Sometimes the old man would talk about growing up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. Having to pack up, leave his apartment in the middle of the night, and flee the neighborhood—without even saying goodbye to his friends—whenever his parents couldn’t pay the rent. Eating nothing but a two-penny soft pretzel and a glass of water for lunch. His mother’s gambling addiction. Working various odd jobs through childhood.
“We were poor! I swore my sons would know better,” he’d say.
In 2003, Alicia and I planned a three-week trip to Ireland. We rented a tiny car and booked hostel rooms. Just before we left, my grandfather sheepishly said, “Ask about our family name in Ireland. I’m pretty sure we’re Irish.”
“I thought we’re American!”
“Just ask.”
When I inquired in the pubs of Ireland, I was told that the Quicks were most likely from County Cork.
Upon hearing the words ‘descended from horse thieves,’ my Irish drinking partners laughed knowingly and made a few uncomfortable jokes about Irish nomads.
Suddenly the old man’s ‘horse thieves’ were real—so was the shame attached to the words.
My grandfather learned to hide his past, as he tried to rise up out of poverty in America. He had to reinvent himself and refrain from looking back.
BOY21 was greatly influenced by this realization.
My protagonist Finley McManus is also making an earnest attempt to transcend his family history and become the person he thinks he can be—but blood bonds are strong, and facing what was long ago repressed is never easy.
Q
PS - Some BOY21 reviews:
“…an astonishing, exhilarating look at how broken lives are managed, and sometimes remade, even under the bleakest, most violent circumstances.” Barnes & Noble Review
“Do yourself a favor and get this book for your libraries and your kids. Do them the favor.” Alecia Whitaker for The Contemps
“Now, I’m convinced [Matthew Quick] is a stealth champion for the good in humanity, from the books he’s given us. … Equal appeal for both genders, an original plot, and characters that are quirky and endearing, but not merely for the sake of cuteness. In this book, quirk is a survival mechanism, and the beautiful underlying message is that there are other potential responses to tragedy besides hardening one’s heart.” For the Love of Books
“Now I am going to dedicate an entire paragraph to something I cannot expressly say. Why? Cause it’s a giant spoiler. But there are so few times when something happens in a book and then there is THE PERFECT REACTION. One where the main character reacts exactly how you want them to, the other characters do exactly what you want them to do and it’s so perfect and poetic and brilliant it’s like it was divined by the gods. This book had that. Without saying anything, I was reading, said plot twist happened, then there was some much needed waiting and then… PERFECT MOMENT and I screamed ‘YES’ like some kind of hyped up adrenaline junkie. *angels sing, trumpets sound* Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.” Novel Thoughts
“I was TOTALLY not expecting a book like this one! I can’t say enough good stuff about the writing style and darker themes that were in Boy21 were just fantastic. This book is so full of emotion, clarity, and amazing characters, as well as fascinating sports scenes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone I know, even to people who aren’t that into sports like myself. Two thumbs way, way up!” Hippies Beauty & Books Oh My!
“Plain and simple, Boy21 is a GREAT book…appeals to a variety of readers…They’ll feel the tension and suspense, they’ll laugh out loud, and they might even cry (I did).” Y.A. Love
More reviews here!
“But where did our ancestors come from?” I’d ask.
“You’re American.”
“Horse thieves?”
“You’re American.”
Sometimes the old man would talk about growing up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. Having to pack up, leave his apartment in the middle of the night, and flee the neighborhood—without even saying goodbye to his friends—whenever his parents couldn’t pay the rent. Eating nothing but a two-penny soft pretzel and a glass of water for lunch. His mother’s gambling addiction. Working various odd jobs through childhood.
“We were poor! I swore my sons would know better,” he’d say.
In 2003, Alicia and I planned a three-week trip to Ireland. We rented a tiny car and booked hostel rooms. Just before we left, my grandfather sheepishly said, “Ask about our family name in Ireland. I’m pretty sure we’re Irish.”
“I thought we’re American!”
“Just ask.”
When I inquired in the pubs of Ireland, I was told that the Quicks were most likely from County Cork.
Upon hearing the words ‘descended from horse thieves,’ my Irish drinking partners laughed knowingly and made a few uncomfortable jokes about Irish nomads.
Suddenly the old man’s ‘horse thieves’ were real—so was the shame attached to the words.
My grandfather learned to hide his past, as he tried to rise up out of poverty in America. He had to reinvent himself and refrain from looking back.
BOY21 was greatly influenced by this realization.
My protagonist Finley McManus is also making an earnest attempt to transcend his family history and become the person he thinks he can be—but blood bonds are strong, and facing what was long ago repressed is never easy.
Q
PS - Some BOY21 reviews:
“…an astonishing, exhilarating look at how broken lives are managed, and sometimes remade, even under the bleakest, most violent circumstances.” Barnes & Noble Review
“Do yourself a favor and get this book for your libraries and your kids. Do them the favor.” Alecia Whitaker for The Contemps
“Now, I’m convinced [Matthew Quick] is a stealth champion for the good in humanity, from the books he’s given us. … Equal appeal for both genders, an original plot, and characters that are quirky and endearing, but not merely for the sake of cuteness. In this book, quirk is a survival mechanism, and the beautiful underlying message is that there are other potential responses to tragedy besides hardening one’s heart.” For the Love of Books
“Now I am going to dedicate an entire paragraph to something I cannot expressly say. Why? Cause it’s a giant spoiler. But there are so few times when something happens in a book and then there is THE PERFECT REACTION. One where the main character reacts exactly how you want them to, the other characters do exactly what you want them to do and it’s so perfect and poetic and brilliant it’s like it was divined by the gods. This book had that. Without saying anything, I was reading, said plot twist happened, then there was some much needed waiting and then… PERFECT MOMENT and I screamed ‘YES’ like some kind of hyped up adrenaline junkie. *angels sing, trumpets sound* Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.” Novel Thoughts
“I was TOTALLY not expecting a book like this one! I can’t say enough good stuff about the writing style and darker themes that were in Boy21 were just fantastic. This book is so full of emotion, clarity, and amazing characters, as well as fascinating sports scenes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone I know, even to people who aren’t that into sports like myself. Two thumbs way, way up!” Hippies Beauty & Books Oh My!
“Plain and simple, Boy21 is a GREAT book…appeals to a variety of readers…They’ll feel the tension and suspense, they’ll laugh out loud, and they might even cry (I did).” Y.A. Love
More reviews here!
1 comment:
I love this story! Your grandfather sounds like a wise man. Thanks for sharing and thanks for putting good in the world!
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