Interview with Tanaz Bhathena for The Beauty of the Moment
The Beauty of the Moment
by Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: February 26th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—he started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer, and has had a reputation ever since.
Susan’s parents are on the verge of divorce. Malcolm’s dad is a known adulterer.
Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Malcolm doesn’t know what he wants—until he meets her.
Love is messy and families are messier, but in spite of their burdens, Susan and Malcolm fall for each other. The ways they drift apart and come back together are testaments to family, culture, and being true to who you are.
Can you briefly describe The Beauty of the moment and their main characters?
The Beauty of the Moment is about an Indian girl named Susan Thomas, who moves from Saudi Arabia to Canada, where she faces all sorts of challenges trying to fit into a new school and to adapt to a new culture. A perfectionist by nature, Susan is struggling to meet with her parents’ expectations—they want her to be a doctor or engineer, while she wants to be an artist.
In Canada, she meets a Parsi boy named Malcolm Vakil, who is going through his own problems. He’s dealing with his reputation which has been pretty bad—he got into trouble with drugs and alcohol after his mom died. He’s also dealing with his father who has been abusive to him in the past. Now, in his final year at high school, Malcolm is trying to clean up his act.
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
Malcolm’s uncle, Mancher, because he gives some amazing advice about love and life.
How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?
Like Susan, I was born in India and grew up in Saudi Arabia. I moved to Canada as a teenager and the book is partly inspired by my own experiences.
If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
I’m going to cheat and choose two:
Susan’s theme song: Here by Alessia Cara
Malcolm’s theme song: Something Just Like This by Coldplay and the Chainsmokers
Since it is still cold outside, what hot drink do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
Hot chocolate, for sure!
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish The Beauty of the moment?
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. The first book, HUNTED BY THE SKY, will release in 2020.
Tanaz Bhathena was born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada. Her critically acclaimed novel A Girl Like That was nominated for the 2019 OLA White Pine Award and named a Best Book of 2018 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Quill & Quire, Seventeen, PopSugar, and The Times of India among others. Her second novel The Beauty of the Moment releases on Feb 26 2019. Her short stories have appeared in various journals including Blackbird, Witness and Room.
A wanderer at heart, Tanaz can often be found travelling to different countries, learning bits and pieces of a foreign language, and taking way too many photographs. She loves slapstick comedies and any kind of music that makes her dance. She lives in the Toronto area with her family.
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