Deny thy father and refuse thy name. When I wrote my debut novel These Violent Delights, I wanted to hold onto that fundamental theme of tension and conflict. Some of the most captivating romances are those that are star-crossed, developing between two characters despite contrary circumstances. These are the stories about lovers choosing each other even when they have inherited a conflict that devastates both sides, even when they have sworn to be enemies, even when they must kill each other. After all, when it comes to love, what grander adversity is there to overcome than hate? Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite stories simply because it is the very touchstone tale that interrogates what it means to choose love when it would have been easier to choose hate.
Chloe Gong
Fiction and Excerpts [1]
5 SFF Books About Star-Crossed Lovers
"Romeo and Juliet" by Frank Dicksee (1884)
Series: Five Books About…
Read an Excerpt From These Violent Delights
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery…
We’re excited to share an excerpt from These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong’s debut and an imaginative retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. Available November 17th from Margaret K. McElderry Books.