The author and illustrator talks LGBTQIA+ representation, and reflects on the past and future
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY PATCH STUDIO
Alice Oseman (she/they) secured her first publishing deal at just 17 years old. She would be 19 when her first novel, Solitaire, was published. In her debut novel, Alice explored the life of Tori Spring, a pessimistic teenage girl who goes on a moving journey of self-discovery. The characters in this book went on to inspire Alice’s graphic novel series Heartstopper.
Fast forward to today, and Alice has multiple novels and awards under her belt and has just concluded the Heartstopper graphic novel series with a moving and inspiring sixth volume. The author and illustrator is also a BAFTA-nominated and Emmy-winning screenwriter. She’s adapted the Heartstopper books into a hugely popular Netflix show, which will be concluding later this month with a feature-length film.
Suffice to say, the last 14 years have been a wild journey for this writer. Getting the chance to speak with Alice via Zoom, I’m curious to find out how it felt in the lead-up to this final Heartstopper release compared to previous volumes. “It’s so sad, but it’s also so exciting,” she admits. “I’m so proud of the journey that Heartstopper’s been on.”
Historically, Alice has had characters from her novels Solitaire, Radio Silence, I Was Born for This and Loveless make crossover appearances in each other’s stories. Is there any scope for seeing Heartstopper characters in future projects? “I’m going to be drawing Heartstopper characters forever. I’ve always loved doing mini comics, which are roughly 10 pages long, about the Heartstopper characters,” says Alice. “As for whether there would be a whole new book or series, that’s definitely not in the cards right now. I feel really excited to explore new characters and worlds.”
Alice has had an exceptional career. What advice would her 31-year-old self give her freshly published 19-year-old self? “I’d probably just encourage myself to keep going,” Alice reflects. “In my mid 20s, when my books were slightly more popular, I had a bit of an audience, and I think I was very anxious and concerned about the reactions and opinions. I think I would write a little bit to try to please other people. That’s something I’ve learned and grown from now. Nowadays, I feel I can really prioritise what I want to write.”
And speaking of the past, I have to go back to Solitaire. I ask what it’s like watching her very first protagonist, Tori, grow and evolve in Heartstopper. While Alice never felt a strong urge to write a sequel to Tori’s story, or to make her have a huge arc in Heartstopper, due to her story already being told in Solitaire, she enjoyed getting glimpses of Tori from a different perspective. “Seeing her through the eyes of Nick and Charlie is quite different. We see more of her funniness and quirkiness. We also see a little bit of stuff about her post-Solitaire. Tori figuring out that she’s asexual was a really exciting part of her story for me to be able to tell, because that wasn’t even something I was really aware of when I was writing Solitaire. It was only when I went back to Solitaire that I suddenly thought, ‘Oh, she is asexual. That’s actually very obvious to me now.'”
This final instalment of Heartstopper is bittersweet, but also very cathartic. Readers get to see Charlie Spring grow in both his relationship with Nick and also his identity outside of his relationship. Our readers will also love seeing DIVA favourites Elle, Darcy and Tara stepping into their confidence in diferent ways as well. Long time Heartstopper fans are sure to be left feeling all the feelings.
Heartstopper has had a mighty impact on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people around the world. It has helped many queer people come out and find community. It has been healing for older queer and trans folks who struggled to feel seen by media. Before our time comes to an end, I ask Alice, as the creator of this world, if she also finds healing from the series. “It’s so healing to make Heartstopper. It really is this place that I’ve been able to go to where I feel at peace with the world. Especially when the world is so horrible,” she enthuses. “When I was a teenager there wasn’t really anything like Heartstopper. There was Skins and there was Glee, two very opposite ends of the spectrum. That’s kind of all we had in terms of queer media. So yeah, to make it is a very healing, soothing and joyful thing.”
Heartstopper Volume 6 by Alice Oseman is out now (Hodder Children’s Books, £14.99)
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