V.K. Torston's debut novel, Defiant Attraction is finally available on Amazon! In celebration of the release, US-Brazil Book Review is digging a little deeper into some of the imagery in the novel. Today, V.K. Torston is joining us to discuss the cars of Defiant Attraction and their meanings.
The Cars of Defiant Attraction
When I decided to set Defiant Attraction in the Detroit Metro Area, aka "Motor City", I knew that every car would have to be loaded with meaning. Both Sophie's mom and Dan's dad work in manufacturing and factories dot the horizon of their suburb. Theirs is a community deeply entwined with the auto industry. In this context, cars became important imagery, and offered an opportunity to relay character nuance.
Dan's Chevy
This 1959 Chevrolet Panel Truck harkens to the heydey of American manufacturing. The very concept of "teenagers" and "youth culture" was emerging at this time, and automobiles represented boundless freedom. As an added bonus, the expansive, seatless back is basically a mobile makeout room. But vintage models like this require both strength (they rarely have power steering), as well as finesse and committed upkeep.
Frank's Ford
From the catastrophe of the Pinto to the needlessly muscular Comets, the mid-Seventies wasn't a good era for Ford. Style championed over substance and flashy, aggressively masculine models dominated assembly lines. But the designs were reckless and the results proved unreliable (even dangerous). A '74 Ford like Frank's would be considered a foolish investment.
Hannah's Mom's Pontiac
Among car enthusiasts, the Pontiac Aztek is something of a joke; a well-intentioned concept that never really came together. And while Pontiac is a brand of Michigan titan, GM, the Aztek models were manufactured outside the U.S. But a pre-owned model like Hannah's mom's would likely be affordable, and defenders insist upon its reliability.
Stuart's Toyota
Safe, practical, fuel efficient, the Toyota Camry is the kind of car parents buy for their kids (if they're the kind of kid whose parents buy them new cars). This model is unassuming and normal to the point of invisibility. But if you see an Oakland or Wayne County kid driving a Toyota, odds would be that he doesn't have a factory family.
Dan might be the enemy of my enemy, but I’m not sure that makes him my friend. He’s definitely not my ‘step brother’, no matter what everyone at school says. Honestly, I don’t know what he’s supposed to be to me. Or what he’s becoming…
Fact: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In the yearbook, I’ll be Sophia Ramos: Valedictorian. Years of honor roll certificates, AP classes, and lugging around an obnoxiously large cello case are about to finally pay off. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll escape these decaying suburbs for a top university across the country.
The problem? A few years ago, my mom met someone just as broke, just as drunk, and just as impulsive as she is. Approximately five seconds into their relationship, they decided it would be an excellent idea for him—and his son, Dan—to move in with us. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t).
Now I share a house with none other than Daniel Cole. Even though Dan dropped out two years ago, he’s still the tattooed, bad boy, heartthrob, legend of St. Anthony’s Academy. He and I aren’t supposed to have anything in common.
Living together means war. First, Dan and I were at war with each other. Now, our rivalry is giving way to an unlikely alliance—two opposing sides teaming up against a common enemy: our respective parents.
Which is to say, we’ve been hanging out.
Question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
Here’s the thing: My brain is a complex organ. One hundred billion neurons, each with an average of seven thousand synaptic connections to other neurons. My brain is my ticket out of here.
My heart, by contrast, is a pump. It moves blood around.
I know Dan is off-limits. I know I shouldn’t do something I’ll regret. And I know how much is at stake (my family, my future).
So why can’t I stop thinking about him? Those inscrutable jade eyes. The smile that can say a thousand different things at once. That tattoo curving across his abs…
Even though I know better, I feel that pounding in my chest. And it’s getting harder to ignore.
But if I follow my heart, I can never go back.
Answer: There is no such thing as an immovable object.
Dan might be the enemy of my enemy, but I’m not sure that makes him my friend. He’s definitely not my ‘step brother’, no matter what everyone at school says. Honestly, I don’t know what he’s supposed to be to me. Or what he’s becoming…
Fact: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In the yearbook, I’ll be Sophia Ramos: Valedictorian. Years of honor roll certificates, AP classes, and lugging around an obnoxiously large cello case are about to finally pay off. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll escape these decaying suburbs for a top university across the country.
The problem? A few years ago, my mom met someone just as broke, just as drunk, and just as impulsive as she is. Approximately five seconds into their relationship, they decided it would be an excellent idea for him—and his son, Dan—to move in with us. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t).
Now I share a house with none other than Daniel Cole. Even though Dan dropped out two years ago, he’s still the tattooed, bad boy, heartthrob, legend of St. Anthony’s Academy. He and I aren’t supposed to have anything in common.
Living together means war. First, Dan and I were at war with each other. Now, our rivalry is giving way to an unlikely alliance—two opposing sides teaming up against a common enemy: our respective parents.
Which is to say, we’ve been hanging out.
Question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
Here’s the thing: My brain is a complex organ. One hundred billion neurons, each with an average of seven thousand synaptic connections to other neurons. My brain is my ticket out of here.
My heart, by contrast, is a pump. It moves blood around.
I know Dan is off-limits. I know I shouldn’t do something I’ll regret. And I know how much is at stake (my family, my future).
So why can’t I stop thinking about him? Those inscrutable jade eyes. The smile that can say a thousand different things at once. That tattoo curving across his abs…
Even though I know better, I feel that pounding in my chest. And it’s getting harder to ignore.
But if I follow my heart, I can never go back.
Answer: There is no such thing as an immovable object.
V.K. Torston is a millennial and ‘cool aunt’ to a brood of nieces and nephews. She was born and raised in San Francisco, attended university in New York City, and aspires to one day live in London. A veteran of the independent music scene, she began writing nonfiction in her late teens. Then she realized that making up stories was way more fun than coming up with endless synonyms for ‘frenetic’ and ‘danceable.’ Her hobbies include drinking too much coffee, making up stupid songs, and ranting about current events. Defiant Attraction is her first novel.
Twitter: @vktorston Website: www.vktorston.com Goodreads Author Page
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