"I wanted to use my imagination to say, yeah, it was horrible, but look what could also have been possible, right? And that doesn’t mean we can’t achieve it now. I think that’s where most of the hope in my novels comes from. I mean, there’s no denying that what happened in this part of the world was just terrible and horrible and horrific. It doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. It doesn’t mean we always have to relate to each other that way. And I know this sounds idealistic and too optimistic, but I think if we do even a little bit of this work, we will be much better. And leave a better legacy for those who come after. Because there’s no untangling what has already happened, it’s already happened. So what we need to do is figure out how to move on with it"