Q: Why do you think so many adults recommend Katherines more so than your other books?
To be frank with you, I think it appeals to teachers and librarians because it is the way to teach and share my work that involves the least sex.
Q: You often say you can’t remember certain things in the novel. Does this mean you rarely reread your books?
I never re-read my books. (I re-read both Katherines and Paper Towns years ago for movie things, but I would never re-read them for fun.) There are several reasons for this:
1. The world contains a lot of books—far more than I can ever read—and to read my own books seems weird and narcissistic.
2. It’s not a pleasant experience for me, because I’m always thinking of all the things I could’ve done differently and better, and wanting to go back and change things.
3. When a book comes out, I really truly feel done with it. Like, I’m very happy to talk about it with people, and I’m definitely interested in people’s reactions to it, and I want to do everything I can to help the book find its widest possible audience. But by that point, I’ve read the thing hundreds of times. That’s enough. :)
Q: Why do you seem to have less affection for Katherines than for your other books?
I like Katherines! I do! I do not think of it as less good than my other books; I just think it’s very different. It’s a comic novel, and a zany one, but I’m just as proud of it as I am of my other books. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of any of my books. I always feel very conscious of the times I ran up against the limit of my talent, or failed to make something clear, or might’ve made a better joke, or could’ve been more emotionally honest, or whatever. That’s just the nature of the enterprise, I think.