by Katya de Becerra

My earliest childhood memories are of bookshelves. Growing up, I was the type of girl who could often be seen with her nose buried deep inside a book. As far as my early reading preferences went, I was voracious: reading The Martian Chronicles during breakfast, then skimming through some school-assigned Russian classic at lunch, before at last disappearing into one of Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories in the evening. Back then, I didn’t categorize books as being of a particular “genre”. There were books that gripped me, books that made me think, books that entertained me—sometimes all these things could be easily accomplished by one and the same book. So it wasn’t until later that I started to firmly associate Ray Bradbury’s name with science fiction, and Tove Jansson’s with middle-grade fantasy. Though even then, the concept of a literary genre didn’t mean that much to me. It definitely wasn’t until I started writing a book of my own (a manuscript which eventually became my 2018 debut, What The Woods Keep) that I finally gave a serious thought to the genre question.

So what is a genre?

In literature, a genre is a particular type of literary composition, defined by many factors, including narrative style, voice, subject matter, and the themes the book addresses. However, genres are flexible, borders between them often vague. When a book blends several genre-specific themes and elements, it can be categorized as cross-genre, genre-blending, or a mashup. These mashup books endeavor to break the established genre “rules” and tell a familiar story in a new way by offering fresh insights on the well-trodden tropes and motifs. However, when writing such a book, it’s important to consider how different genres complement each other and whether their connections are seamless, not to end up with some kind of Frankenstein’s monster where different bits don’t quite fit well together.

When I first started working on What The Woods Keep, I didn’t plan to write a genre-blending book. Instead, my goals were to pay my tribute to some beloved “tropes” of young adult urban fantasy (house in the woods; small town full of secrets; inheriting a dark and terrifying family legacy, etc.) and to re-interpret those tropes. Primarily, I was driven by a specific narrative voice as well as by my everlasting love for all things strange and unexplained. Thematically, I wanted to explore what happens to human nature when our familiar perception lens malfunctions and our logic clashes with a phenomenon that refuses to be understood and categorized. I didn’t know I was writing a genre-blending book until I started querying agents. That’s when I knew I had to define this book somehow. But how? There were elements of fantasy, thriller, psychological horror, science fiction… I drew on all these genres to make my protagonist’s task of solving the dark mystery at this book’s heart more difficult. After giving it much thought though, I pitched it as a “young adult urban fantasy with science fiction elements” and eventually that got me my agent.

While genre-blending books are not uncommon, the ambiguous borders between literary genres often leave it open to interpretation. Arguably though, well-known books like Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (a mix of adventure, mythology, and fantasy), Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves (a horror romance story told in a multimedia format), and pretty much anything by Haruki Murakami could easily fall within the cross-genre definition.

However, as a debut young adult author navigating the world of publishing for the first time, I noticed that while genre-blending happens in young adult books all the time, it’s rarely talked about. So to help boost appreciation for the cross-genre young adult literature, here is a handy list of my fellow genre-blending 2018 young adult debuts:

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist

A Western with elements of horror, Berquist’s debut is a fresh new take on the post-apocalyptic zombie plague romp.

With its West Texas desert setting, atmospheric writing and tough-as-nails protagonist, Devils Unto Dust is an excellent example of a seamless cross-genre novel.  

The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth

Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, Weymouth’s much-anticipated debut is a historical fantasy set during the World War II. It chronicles a story of two sisters who have to rediscover their place in the world after being ejected from a magical realm known as the Woodlands.

Bringing such staples of the fantasy genre as portal magic and mythical forest dwellers together with the historical setting, The Light Between Worlds is a genre-blending tale about loss, nostalgia, and belonging.

By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell

Mixing contemporary fantasy, romance, and elements of horror, By a Charm and a Curse tells a riveting story of a girl who is entrapped by a traveling circus and has to save herself from a terrible curse. Her salvation, as all things worth fighting for, comes at a price.

Questell’s magical and deliciously dark debut hits all the right cross-genre notes.

Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Blending science fiction and dystopia, this Western about a seventeen-year-old sharpshooter heroine takes an alternative look at history, immersing the readers into a version of Wild West that was fractured by a Second Civil War into a dangerous place.

Ely’s cross-genre debut has been described as “indescribable” by book reviewers—a testament to the author’s expert genre-blending work.

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

A Touch of Gold is another example of a genre mashup done well. A mythological fantasy with a healthy dose of romance, Sullivan’s debut tells a previously untold story of a daughter of infamous King Midas.

Having suffered from her father’s gift (or a curse?) of the gold-making touch, the book’s protagonist has to find her strength—and deal with some dangerous truths—outside the safety of the palace walls where she grew up.

Road to Eugenica by A.M. Rose

A twisty fresh take on the teen-acquires-superpowers trope, Road to Eugenica is a modern-day science fiction complete with a nice serving of romance.

Rose’s debut is chock-full of superpower goodness, supremely-written fighting scenes and a friends-to-more-than-friends subplot, which all come together nicely in this unusual cross-genre novel.

The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan

Concluding this starter list of genre-blending young adult debuts is Kaplan’s quirky dark comedy noir about a girl who finds herself in a dangerous situation after her online identity is hacked. In a recent interview, the author spoke about her love for all things noir and noir-adjacent, including James Bond and Hitchcock, and how by writing her complex female protagonist she wanted to explore the noir trope of femme fatale.

An intriguing story, peppered with some wonderfully dark humor, Kaplan’s debut is a rare cross-genre gem.

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Katya de Becerra was born in Russia, studied in California, lived in Peru, and then stayed in Australia long enough to become a local. She was going to be an Egyptologist when she grew up, but instead she earned a PhD in Anthropology. She is the author of What The Woods Keep (pre-order now), and Oasis with Macmillan/Imprint.

Follow on Twitter and Instagram at @KatyaDeBecerra or read her blog.