It’s possible that some people come to fiction for comforting and familiar formulas and trajectories, but I don’t read anything like that and wouldn’t write it.īrix: The method of using one night’s events - Liselle’s dinner party - as the foundation where you can explore an entire coming-of-age story has a real Waiting for Godot vibe. Without giving too much away, why did this story need to be told in this way? Solomon: I think that’s my job – to write unexpected characters and unexpected dilemmas that feel real and help lead to some increased understanding of what it means to be human. As a writer and storyteller, what’s interesting about characters that zig when you’re expecting them to zag? Liselle’s inner struggle about how to pronounce Xochitl’s name and her discomfort with hiring someone to help around the house, for example, can be contrasted with how she feels about Winn touching her hair. You write incredibly complex characters that are always subverting expectations. Here we present an interview, or conversation between Solomon and our Executive Director, Michael Brix.īrix: First of all, I loved this book. She is from Philadelphia and friends of Tree House Books will remember her from our live (over Zoom) interview with her and fellow Philadelphia author Liz Moore for our 2020 Champions of Literacy celebration.

Exclusive interview with author Asali SolomonĪsali Solomon is the award-winning author of The Get Down and Disgruntled.

Disgruntled by Asali Solomon