Today I have author Oscar Wenman-Hyde here giving us a little background on his book Chroma.
When Riley watched Chroma, the latest movie by Armani Manora, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. Riley’s parents, Jean and Paul, are currently getting divorced, and they have managed to keep the situation hidden from Riley, until now.
They were unaware of the effects this was having on Riley’s emotional and mental well-being, and as tensions rose at school and at home, he was visited by a voice in his bedroom. Before too long, he began a journey that was not only dangerous, but eye opening.
Chroma explores the rapidly changing family dynamic throughout divorce, and how a child’s imagination can take them to unknown places. It is emotional, insightful and a moving story which not only teaches us how to be an adult, but how to be a child.
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Hello, first of all, thanks to everyone who has clicked to read this article. I have never written for a blog before and whilst this is exciting, it is also quite daunting. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a man of many ideas, at times rather pretentious and incredibly passionate, so take what I say with a pinch of salt and I’ll explain all of reasoning behind my debut novel ‘Chroma’ and maybe you can take something away from this.
The main reason the I wrote ‘Chroma’ was because I wanted to tell a story about divorce from a child’s perspective. Correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge this is an incredibly disregarded subject, I’m aware that there are books and films on divorce, most recently Noah Baumbach’s ‘Marriage Story’ but none of these really go into the child’s perspective, to see the situation how they see it, and to experience how they are affected.
To me this is so incredibly important. When I was a child my parents got divorced, and at the time, I remember myself coping with it quite well, it was only as I got older that I started to realise the effect it had on me emotionally. As much as I hate to say it, I don’t think the whole situation within our family was dealt with incredibly well, but who would be able to navigate their way through unknown territory properly? I don’t blame them, I don’t blame anyone, but considering the way I felt growing up and not having anything I could relate too, I decided to write this book to give victims of divorce something to gravitate towards.
Regardless of how I’m describing it, Chroma isn’t a self-help book, it is full of adventure and discovery, and it involves a young boy called Riley who has an immense love of cinema and an imagination that takes him to unknown places, but most of all, it is emotional, insightful and a moving story which not only teaches us how to be an adult, but how to be a child.
Obviously, I can only speak for myself when I say this, but if I had something which I could relate to growing up then that would have helped me so much. Writing Chroma was such a journey for me because I found myself bringing up loads of forgotten memories, some painful, some reminiscent, but most all, it reminded me of such a difficult and conflicted time.
The further I got into the book, the more I came to the conclusion that it couldn’t just be me out there who needed a story like this, there must others. Divorce has become such a modern subject, that most parents like to believe that their children understand, but a young child will never come to terms with the fact that their family is apart when others are still together.
Not only will you go on a journey with the characters in Chroma as they embark on their many adventures, but hopefully you will go on a journey with yourself. I like to think that this book offers closure but also brings certain topics into a new light that will help you talk to your loved ones. There’s no doubt that the guilt of divorce hangs over many parents, and the pain engulfs many children, but it doesn’t need to. The subject should be spoken about and Chroma is my effort to bring that idea into new focus.
Oscar Wenman-Hyde is a writer living in Gloucester, UK. Born and raised in the quiet towns of North Devon, Oscar would spend the majority of his time as a child writing and directing short films with his brother and neighbours. From here, Oscar’s passion led him to explore all aspects of his creativity, by graduating with a BA Hons in Songwriting at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. He now finds joy in all mediums of writing and although he has worked and trained in many areas, he is always inspired by film and remains grounded in storytelling.
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