In Kyrie McCauley’s sophomore YA novel, We Can Be Heroes, Beck and Vivian, McCauley’s central characters, anonymously paint murals across their town to commemorate their best friend, Cassie. Their art is fueled by grief and rage; Cassie was murdered by her boyfriend, the son of a firearms dealer who runs their town, Bell, “the heart of American gun culture.” Their newfound friendship is fueled by love for the friend they lost, for the people they can save, and ultimately for each other as they rebuild their lives and dare to imagine a future without Cassie.
But they don’t have to live without Cassie, at least not yet, because her ghost comes alive in Beck’s van. Though she’s pinned there, she can talk to them, and she speaks to readers too in broken, ethereal prose. Together, the three friends drive under stars to paint over the town and all its misogyny, violence, and ambivalence. They believe it’s Beck, Vivian, and Cassie against the world: but they come to learn there are others ready to grieve, rage, and love right along with them. There is so much to mourn; there is so much to celebrate.
We Can Be Heroes is a timely novel that people of all ages will connect with and cherish. McCauley takes big, difficult topics and makes them feel personal by penning characters who feel knowable and real. There is sharp sadness in these pages, but so much beauty too: the murals and imagery introduced throughout the book are stunning, and McCauley’s lyrical prose is equally moving. For anyone whose life has been touched by domestic violence, gun violence, or faced loss in the wake of such tragedies, this novel will be a salve.
I had the chance to speak with her to discuss We Can Be Heroes, writing through trauma, and the power of YA novels.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Jen St. Jude
This novel centers on three friends: one—Cassie—dead but still present, the other two—Vivian and Beck—grieving her death, still very much alive and tethered to the first). They’re each so unique and memorable; how did you choose these three as your main characters?
Kyrie McCauley
I wanted to have this dynamic of tension between Beck and Vivian, and sort of have them at tug-of-war: first, over their love for Cassie, and then again over their grief for her. Vivian is this type A, anxious, perfectionist. She is goal-oriented to the point of not really slowing down to enjoy her life. Then we have Beck, who is all wild—an artist, a dreamer, a survivor. And Cassie was their glue. For me, it was really about that friendship, and showing how grief impacts us all differently.
Jen St. Jude
Much like your first book, If These Wings Could Fly, this story is rooted in our world but has a speculative twist. Cassie is dead, but she’s still an active, present character in her ghostly form. She even gets her own POV on the page. How do you think her presence shapes the novel?
Kyrie McCauley
I knew early on that I really didn’t want to write about a dead girl without giving her a point of view. It’s something I think about every time a murder flashes across a headline—just how utterly unfair it is that someone’s violent death is the most famous thing about them, and how often those stories are about young women. But in fiction, I could change that reality and give Cassie a voice and agency and anger that was all her own. I think—I hope—that it changes the scope of the book. This isn’t a story about Cassie. This is Cassie’s story.
Jen St. Jude
Beck and Vivian drive around town painting murals to raise awareness about gun violence and Cassie’s story, and these are described in gorgeous detail. How did you choose which murals the girls would paint?
Kyrie McCauley
Conceptualizing the murals was such a great part of this project, especially once I figured out how to tie in Greek mythology. Beck and Vivian paint Cassandra, Circe, Helen, Ariadne, Andromeda, and Medusa. For me, this was about reclaiming stories, much like I wanted to do by including Cassie’s point of view. I sort of got to explore what a trauma-informed approach to Greek mythology would look like, and ask the questions: whose story are we telling? And who gets to be the hero of that story? I wanted the murals to represent Beck wrestling with those questions as well as her grief and anger, and then claiming that title for themselves. Beck and Vivian and Cassie are the heroes of the story.
Jen St. Jude
There is a lot of pressure (rightfully so) to tell stories about gun violence with sensitivity, nuance, and care. I absolutely think you achieve this, and believe stories like this one are so important for helping young readers deal with their own fears, trauma, and the political landscape. Was it ever hard to write a story about gun violence, either emotionally or in terms of craft?
Kyrie McCauley
This story was hard every step of the way. Writing about violence isn’t just difficult emotionally, it’s a huge responsibility. As a survivor of domestic violence, I know how high the stakes are to represent it in a way that is nuanced and realistic, without being gratuitous. I think this is partly why I like to incorporate surreal and fabulist elements in my writing. It’s a great tool to explain how horrific a violent act can be without putting every detail on the page. Is there a way to capture that fear and anger without sensationalizing the violence itself? That’s what I’m aiming for, and including surreal elements, like Cassie as a ghost, helps me with that.
Jen St. Jude
You’re also able to capture so much beauty and joy between the friends, and reflected in their own dreams for their future. There are moments of levity, kindness, and humor. Can you talk about how you’re able to strike this balance in your writing?
Kyrie McCauley
Thank you so much! This is such a hard balance—I want to do the seriousness of the topic justice and give it the weight and gravity that it so deserves. On the other hand, victims are always so much more than the act perpetrated against them, so it’s really important to me to show that joy and the fullness of their life, too. Cassie was a whole person with her life ahead of her—and instead of focusing on the person or the act that stole that from her, I wanted to focus on what was stolen. Writing a book that centers friendship made that part easy. There is something so special and important about friendship—something that lifts us up in a way that is unique to other relationships like with family and significant others—and I loved writing that dynamic in this book.
Jen St. Jude
I sincerely believe this book has the power to d be a powerful salve for anyone, especially young women, who have experienced gender-based or domestic violence. What are your hopes for this novel, and for its readers?
Kyrie McCauley
My hope for my books is that they spur conversations. It can be really difficult to talk about relationship violence—and the early red flags are so easy to miss or misconstrue. For Cassie, I wanted to show the progression of her relationship, from charming to controlling to dangerous. If the book serves as a starting point for anyone—a young woman, or a friend, or a parent—to say, hey, we need to talk about what a healthy relationship looks like versus an unhealthy one—then I think Heroes will be doing what I hoped it would.
Jen St. Jude
Somewhat related: It’s crucial for YA books to reflect young readers’ lives back to them, to offer paths for hope and for healing. Both of your novels are perfect examples of this; your characters have to wade through the darkness but they emerge stronger and freer in the end. Do you have any thoughts about the power of YA books to help young readers cope with their day-to-day difficulties?
Kyrie McCauley
I believe that we are more than anything difficult we face, any trauma we survive, and it’s okay to lean into the parts of our lives that bring us joy. With topics like domestic violence and gun violence, it can be incredibly frustrating to feel like we have little control over things happening—every headline about a school shooting seems to reinforce that. But our voices matter so much, and when we are old enough, so do our votes. Teens today are engaged and passionate about these topics, and I think it’s important to reflect that in the stories we tell.
Jen St. Jude
What’s next for you and your writing?
Kyrie McCauley
I’m working on a new project right now! I can’t talk about details just yet, but I’ll be chipping away at a draft this fall and hopefully I’ll have good news to share soon!
Jen St. Jude
Where do you see Beck and Vivian in 5 years?
Kyrie McCauley
This question is always tough for me! I like leaving my endings a little open, just because I think that with my characters there is so much learning and growth to come. And especially when writing about trauma, there is hopefully a lot of healing in that future. In 5 years, I hope Beck and Vivian are thriving—whatever that looks like for them at that moment—and gathering all of their flowers, in part to honor Cassie, but also just for themselves, because they deserve that happiness.
FICTION
We Can Be Heroes
By Kyrie McCauley
Katherine Tegen Books
Published September 07, 2021
