Author Interview: All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

Author Interview: All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman releases next Tuesday, February 4th, and he is a master of craft, with numerous New York Times bestsellers, and many books that make you think about the world you inhabit. So it is a gift to be able to connect with him again, and ask him about his newest release, check out my interview with him below, and grab the newest thriller, All Better Now on Tuesday!

All Better Now

by Neal Shusterman
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on February 4, 2025
Genres: Dystopian, Thriller, Young Adult
Bookshop, Amazon
Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes a young adult thriller about a world where happiness becomes contagious and the teens caught in the conspiracy by the powers that be to bring back discontent.

An unprecedented condition is on the rise. It behaves like a virus, with the first symptom being a fever, but those who contract it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

Almost everyone revels in this mass unburdening. But people in power—who depend on malcontents tuning into their broadcasts, prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince people they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Soon, campaigns start up convincing people that being happy all the time is dangerous. There’s even a vaccine developed to rid people of their inner peace and get them back to normal because, surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their own agendas, and two teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in different ways by the virus find themselves enmeshed in the center of a dangerous power play. Can they reveal the truth?

Author Interview

In this world where “contentment” is seen as both a blessing and a threat, how do you explore the tension between individual happiness and societal expectations? Do you think true contentment could ever be truly compatible within a capitalist society?

I enjoy exploring unexpected consequences – particularly the consequences of achieving the things we truly wish to achieve, both individually and collectively – because as much as we would want to deny it, light casts shadows. The question is; is the gain worth the consequence? All of history—the good and the bad—is rooted in our answers to that question, both as individuals, and as a society.

With regards to contentment, we spend our lives in the pursuit of happiness, but that’s exactly what it is; a pursuit.  Even when we find a state of bliss, it’s always tempered by the knowledge that it won’t last.  In All Better Now, I tried to envision what it might be like to turn that pursuit into a destination.  Who am I if my inner joy is perpetual and pervasive?  Who are we as a species if we make such a seismic shift in human nature? What are the benefits, what are the dangers, and would it be a net-positive for humanity?

I think that all socio-economic systems would be threatened by such a shift—not just capitalistic societies.  Any socio-economic system would be destabilized by a basic change in human nature, and I felt it important to point that out very clearly in the book.  America and the west fear the collapse of consumer markets, as people no long need “stuff” to make them happy.  Meanwhile China finds that no one’s willing to work at state farms or factories anymore.  The greatest threat, however, is to those in power, who find that they can no longer manipulate the masses through fear and anger.

The story features two teens from different backgrounds who are caught in the middle of this larger power struggle. How do their experiences with the virus and its effects differ, and what do their journeys say about the influence of power and privilege in times of societal upheaval?

Rón and Mariel’s journey really isn’t about power and privilege and societal upheaval.  If it was, then I’d be making a statement rather than posing questions.  Their journey is about two people trying to make sense of a world where all bets are suddenly off the table. Rón begins the story struggling with depression in his gilded cage, and after recovering from Crown Royale, finds joy, and decides it’s his mission to spread it.  I juxtaposed him with Mariel, a girl who’s homeless, and (spoiler alert) learns that she has a natural immunity to Crown Royale, and therefore will never know that kind of contentment.  They become a balancing force for each other… until other forces intervene.

I do address power and privilege with the character of Rón’s father, Blas Escobedo—and I very intentionally went against expectation.  Blas is ostensibly the richest man in the world but he’s not your cookie-cutter billionaire.  We love to paint the super-wealthy in every negative shade we can find. But the fact is, they’re just people with the same qualities and flaws that we all have, just at a ridiculously magnified scale.  I wanted to create a good billionaire.  Blas is connected to his Latino roots, and always endeavoring to be a positive influence in the world.  But he’s also increasingly driven by fear, and fear can corrupt the most noble of intentions.

The concept of a vaccine to “restore” negative emotions like anger or jealousy raises interesting questions about the role of emotions in human motivation. What message do you hope readers take away about the relationship between emotional complexity and personal or societal progress?

As you can already tell, I shy away from the idea of a “message,” because that would imply I know the answer.  But in my experience, people who are convinced they have the answer instantly become part of the problem. So, I guess the one message that is pervasive in everything that I write is “Think again.”  Because whatever the issue or situation, it’s more complicated than we think, and the only way to find meaningful answers is to gain greater perspective.

In order to generate that perspective, there are three main characters, and three points of view in All Better Now.  Rón, who things that this is our next stage of evolution, and everyone needs to catch Crown Royale.  Mariel, who is ambivalent – not disagreeing, but not certain the cost is worth the gain.  And then there’s Morgan, who wants to eradicate Crown Royale and hold on to all our negative emotions.  People are already grouping themselves into “Team Rón,” “Team Mariel,” and “Team Morgan.”Which team am I on?  Well, we can’t truly imagine what a world without anger, fear or misery would be like.  That kind of reality is alien to us, and, in a sense, terrifying.  So, do we do what we’ve always done, and embrace fear?  Or do we take the leap?  I’m with Rón—I think we take the leap.  But that doesn’t mean there won’t be major consequences…