Sabaa Tahir stopped by Good Morning America to talk about her novel Heir, the inaugural pick of GMA’s young adult book club.
Tahir’s novel, published earlier this month by Putnam, is the first in a planned duology set in the world of her An Ember in the Ashes series. Heir follows three young people from different social stations who grapple with love and power as the empire they live in is under threat. A critic for Kirkus called the book “a fantasy with complex characterization that will build anticipation for the next entry.”
GMA co-anchor Whit Johnson asked Tahir what it felt like to have her novel chosen as the first pick for the show’s new book club.
“It’s incredible,” Tahir said. “My readers are really excited, especially the ones who have been with me from the beginning, from my first series, because this world that they love is now going to be introduced to a wider audience. Fantasy fans are thrilled because fantasy doesn’t usually get picked for book clubs.”
Johnson noted that Tahir has been asked by readers why she’s “so mean” to her characters.
“There’s the obvious reason, which is that it’s entertaining, and I like to drink reader tears with my coffee in the morning,” she said. “But there’s also a deeper reason, and that is that I look at the world around me, and I am often hurt and troubled by what I see happening all over the world, particularly internationally.…So I create these characters that you love, that you root for, and then I hurt them, because I want you to hurt, too. I want you to feel what I feel and connect with your fellow human, wherever they might be.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
