The debut author on belonging, family secrets and the YA love story that almost wasn’t
Delali Adjoa is the kind of writer who pulls from the parts of life that don’t always get a clean resolution. Her debut novel The Free Verse Society is the product of a life lived across continents and cultures, and a deep belief that teenagers deserve stories that take their pain seriously.
What is The Free Verse Society about?
It is a YA coming-of-age hate-to-love romance. It’s about two teens from opposite sides of the tracks who are thrown into a poetry club together. We have Jae, who is secretly a teen mom who placed her baby in adoption, and she moves to Delray Beach to live with her uncle for a fresh start.
On the first day of school, her fresh start is ruined when she runs into Derek Patel. He is dealing with a lot of grief in his life and he gets sent to the poetry club as a punishment. That’s where they meet again. They have to plan the end-of-semester open mic together, their feelings grow, and they’re trying to guard their hearts and their family secrets.
What makes the hate-to-love tension feel real in this story?
The tension really comes from how much these two characters are guarding. They’re hiding a lot. The themes are a little bit heavy. They’re wanting to find love because they want this sense of belonging, but they are holding back so much. That’s really where the tension in this story is coming from.
Jae is Ghanaian. Why did you add that detail?
I’m Ghanaian, but I was born in Togo, raised in Canada, and then moved to the U.S. when I was 14, so I’ve just been all over the place. I’ve always had this feeling of being from somewhere, but not of the place. Not having access, in my own mind, to my parents’ culture completely. Feeling like I was on the periphery.
I was volunteering in college, in Costa Rica, and I met an Indian-American girl, and we had this long conversation about the same thing. There are well-meaning adults who will say you’re lost or you’re confused because you don’t have the language. So I wrote that into Jae’s character, this girl who feels like she’s not a part of her dad’s culture.
When I was thinking of a male counterpart for her, I was thinking maybe someone who doesn’t look like her, but understands her on a much deeper level. I remembered that conversation I had with the Indian girl, and I made Derek Indian American.
What was the most challenging and most rewarding part of writing this debut?
The most challenging part would be writing poetry from the perspective of five different people, because I was writing from the club members. I have my own poetic voice, so having to find ways to tweak it a little bit for each person was a little tough.
The most fun part would be writing Uncle Rowan, unexpectedly. He was my favorite character to write. At some point I realized I had injected my own father into the story, so he is inspired by my father.
It was a healing experience, but it was also interesting to see how my views have changed. Uncle Rowan is trying to keep Jae and Derek apart, and now that I’m at the age I am, I’m relating more and more to Uncle Rowan’s character. Maybe my dad had some points.
What has the reception been like?
Really good. When we were trying to get the book published at first, we kept hearing a lot of praise about the beauty of the manuscript. One of the criticisms was that it was too dark for post-pandemic years. A recent review I got was from a teacher who said she wanted to hug all her students because we never know what these kids are going through. That’s the point.
When I was young, I grew up in a loving family, but I didn’t always feel comfortable talking about feelings and big things. An adult telling me to talk to them because they understand didn’t reach me. But reading a story where I can hear the inner life of the character and see what they’re going through, and it resembles my life? That was what reached me the most.
When we were getting no’s because they were saying it was too dark for post-pandemic, I started to think about what happened during the pandemic. There were a lot of teens at home in situations they shouldn’t have been in. It was important for me to have that book published. I didn’t have it when I was a teenager. I wanted to make sure other teens had it.
What can readers expect from you next?
Right now I’m working on another contemporary, but also playing around with a contemporary that has a sprinkle of historical fantasy in it. I don’t know which one will win out as the next book. My books are always a little heavier-themed. I don’t think I could write a rom-com very well, so I write heavier, but beautiful, hopeful stories.
Where can readers find you and The Free Verse Society?
I love independent bookstores. They have championed this book so much. If you can find a local indie and request it from them, that’s great. Other than that, you’ll find it online, wherever you prefer to buy books. You can find me at @delaliwrites on Instagram.
