June 6, 2023

The Search for Love is Universal

After a lifetime of searching for someone like herself in a book, Holly Smale wrote one herself.

The Search for Love is Universal

After a lifetime of searching for someone like herself in a book, Holly Smale wrote one herself.

If ‘art is a mirror held up to nature’, then I have spent a lot of my life searching for my reflection and finding very little. While books have always been what I turned to for comfort and escapism – to see the world through other lenses – I have also been left feeling a little like a ghost, desperately ripping down dust-sheets but seeing nothing. And so the conviction that I was alone, and possibly ‘broken’, became more pronounced with every page I turned.

When I was diagnosed as autistic in my late 30s, that belief began to shift. I am simply wired differently, and – as the shame slowly melted away – my attention turned back to the page. If I had failed to find many women like me in books, perhaps I could write one. Thus Cassie was born. Like me, she would struggle with human connection and communication; she would find relationships difficult, emotions confusing and her environment sensorily overwhelming. Like me, she would be considered ‘weird’ and frequently ‘unlikeable’ and would struggle to find her place in a world that held her permanently at arms’ length.

But I didn’t want to write an ‘issues’ book. I wanted to write a joyful, fun story, albeit one with a slightly less usual protagonist. At its heart, this book is about what we all experience: a basic human desire to connect with the people around us, and ultimately to ourselves. Cassie uses time travel – in a very autistic way, looping, repeating, hyper-focusing – to do what we’ve all found ourselves wishing we could do at some point: undo our mistakes, rewrite our histories and edit our own lives. She may do it in a slightly unconventional way, but the search for love is universal. And this is what Cassandra In Reverse has always been about: love, in all its different forms. Love for each other, as humans, despite our differences.

We deserve books that reflect us all, and with Cassie I found a way to rip down the dust-sheet. Whether you’re autistic or not, this is a story that ultimately encourages you to be yourself and celebrate the beauty in our individuality.

None of us are truly alone.

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Saturdays are for getting lost in the pages of a new book. 📖 What story are you escaping into this weekend?
"A perfectly unconventional summer book." 🌊

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Ocean breeze and a good read 💙 

If you haven't yet, grab a copy of our July pick at our link in bio.
You've got mail 💌  Here is one of our favorite lines from Great Big Beautiful Life to brighten your day. Tag the ray of sunshine in your life.
Tell us, what books just feel like summer? 🌊📖 We'll go first: Stuck Up and Stupid by @angourierice and @katericewriter.
Here's a few of our summer favorites! You're definitely going to want to write these down ✏️✨ Shop at our link in bio.