Stuck In Her Head—Aromantic Inclusive YA Fiction
Written by Akweley Mazarae
Word Count: 1132
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
Representation of the aromantic spectrum is scant in popular media, including in Young Adult (YA) literature. Which makes Stuck In Her Head, a novel featuring an aromantic lead character, particularly novel and enticing. The teenage years are known for being a rollercoaster of emotions, with so much change happening in a relatively short period of time. Full of idealism and dreams about the future, it can be hard not to compare yourself to peers who seem to have it all, even if they are your best friends. Stuck In Her Head is the story of two best friends growing up in Hong Kong, Emma Chan and Naomi Lin, and the tests their friendship endures as they compete together in a coding contest hosted by a childhood idol while navigating queerness and mental illness. Refreshingly, the book was written by two best friends from similar backgrounds as the main characters, who wrote it as teens themselves! Kylie Wang and Liana Tang talk about the writing process, the importance of writing LGBTQ characters, and the impact of Stuck In Her Head on LGBTQ YA fiction in an interview with AUREA. (minor spoilers ahead)
About the Authors:
Kylie (she/her) is a current high school senior in California, and Liana (she/her) is a student at the University of Toronto. They grew up together until Kylie went to a separate middle school. Liana came across Kylie’s Wattpad stories and reconnected with Kylie over Discord to pitch writing the book together.
Interview
Tell me a little bit about what the book writing process was like for both of you, and why you felt compelled to tell the story of these two friends?
Liana pitched the middle of the book to Kylie over Discord—an emotionally charged scene in which a character confesses to their best friend that they have a crush on them, though that isn’t a full truth. While the main characters ended up being a bisexual female lead and an aroace female lead, the desire to write that scene stemmed from the cultural context they were immersed in. Oftentimes in YA, female characters are objectified as love interests and romantic relationships are glorified. Liana wanted to push back against that narrative because reducing characters to their love interests makes them less human. It was also particularly important that the characters be queer, because in Hong Kong there wasn’t much mainstream accepted LGBTQ+ representation. In telling a story where friendships aren’t undervalued, having queer female leads who challenge what constitutes a romantic relationship and the ever-expanding vocabulary for feelings nowadays is important. She hopes also that the book sparks discussion that is inclusive of the Split Attraction Model (SAM).
For Kylie, the writing process was both long and fun, because she enjoyed writing and believing in the story. She learned a lot in writing her first book, and really wanted to showcase the beauty and meaningfulness in writing about friendship.
What does aromanticism mean to you and why is aromantic representation important in young adult (YA) literature?
To Kylie, aromantic representation is incredibly important because in Hong Kong (and Asia at large, where the book is primarily published) there is very little discussion or awareness of aromanticism. Most people may not know what aromantic means and this book could be an introduction to less visible aromantic communities. Representation in media and fictional characters such as Stuck In Her Head make it possible for Hong Kong youth to verbalize and understand their experiences.
In your experience, what do you think is the general public opinion of aromanticism in Hong Kong? How does Stuck In Her Head relate to the “traditional family” and the expectation of marriage?
Kylie identified that there isn’t much understanding of aromanticism in mainstream Hong Kong, and the expectation of marriage and a nuclear family is pervasive throughout the culture. As Hong Kong is fairly conservative, it is still struggling to be accepting of gay people, let alone the less visible demographic of aromantics. Which is why Stuck In Her Head is so important, because it provides language that teenagers may not find in the mainstream but fit their lived experiences contrary to the social ideals that are expected of them.
In discussing with queer people for the novel, Liana found that there wasn’t exactly hate, but indifference towards queer people. While she did have one friend who experienced being called a hate slur, the ignorance and lack of visibility for LGBTQ+ people coupled with the values of a traditional nuclear family being embedded into society make being aromantic difficult to even talk about. Knowing that for herself personally, these traditional roles are not what she aspires to when it comes to family, she hopes Stuck In Her Head helps validate other people’s experiences and helps them find the words to express family structures that differ from the norms.
How do you see Stuck In Her Head having an impact on LGBTQ+ YA?
With asexuality being more recognized than aromanticism, Liana hopes Stuck In Her Head creates interest and inspires people from other geographic locations to tell their experiences of being LGBTQ. Stories about where you grow up and how that impacts your experience are needed because they show “common humanity in a polarizing world.” For both Stuck In Her Head and a previous poetry chapbook with LGBTQ themes Liana did interviews with multiple queer people to ensure active representation of the diversity of experiences amongst LGBTQ folx. She’s dedicated to the inclusion of these experiences because she knows they're few and far between.
In which character(s) do you see yourself the most in and why?
Kylie identifies most with Naomi as well as Laurence and their struggles of being teens and dealing with others’ expectations.
Liana also identified with Laurence and feelings of needing to be first and successful. She also identified with Emma and her mental health journey. Growing up in an environment where discussion of mental health was very taboo, she hopes the depictions of mental health in the book resonate particularly with Asian youth who feel like they have to live up to ideals of excellence. It’s okay to not accomplish your dreams and experience depression.
Where to Read:
You can order online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and in person at bookstores in Hong Kong, London, and select stores worldwide. If it’s not available to you now it will be in the future! So grab a copy and support aromantic-inclusive YA. If you would like to contact either of the authors, you can reach them at lianatangwrites@gmail.com or kyliewangwrites@gmail.com.
Interesting Tidbits:
The book cover is illustrated by someone from Across the Spiderverse !
Kylie and Liana plan to continue writing in the future, together and separately. They still write short stories together. Liana plans to do a graphic novel someday.