A traumatic memory resurfacing from a study abroad experience led Houston author Chris Cander to write her latest novel, “The Young of Other Animals.” The novel explores a complex relationship between Mayree and Paula, a mother and daughter, who’s bond is tested after Paula reveals she survived a violent assault. Cander says her novel is a testament to “the indomitable spirit of resilient women and the power of women’s relationships.”
When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
“I’ve been a reader and a writer since I was really, really young, primarily because my mom read to me when I was a child. My favorite book from childhood is ‘Mr. Pine’s Purple House’ by Leonard Kessler. I fell in love with story. It had a lot to do with the connection I felt with my mom when we were reading together. As soon as I could hold a pencil, I started writing. But it wasn’t until my second child was born that I thought I was ready to tackle a long project. When my son was six months old, I had this prophetic dream, and I woke up the next day and I started writing my first novel, and I haven’t stopped.”
What can readers expect from “The Young of Other Animals”?
“When I was 19, I was attacked when I was studying abroad. I survived and fought my way out of that traumatic experience. When I got home to Houston, I just refused to think about it. I didn’t want it to define me, yet it ended up defining almost everything about me. I became a competitive bodybuilder. I started practicing martial arts and [became] a women’s self-defense instructor. It got to the point where I was really comfortable talking about what happened to me, but I never told the whole story. When my daughter was the exact age that I was when I was attacked and she was planning a cross-country trip home from college for the summer, I think that activated the memory in a way I hadn’t dealt with before. It made me want to look at it more closely. So, I created a character named Paula Baker, who shares a birthday with me and a home state. And I created an entire novel, a fictionalized story that was incited by an attack that was almost identical to mine, and then veered off into a direction that I had not anticipated.”
Who is one of your favorite Houston authors? Why?
“Larry McMurtry. Even though he’s no longer with us, the six books that he set in Houston have been incredibly inspiring to me, especially Terms of Endearment. He’s able to write women so empathetically and with such great insight. His talent was so broad and he had this incredibly distinctive voice, and yet he could cover so much ground in the different styles he chose to write in.”
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