I do not lie when I say that Crow, as a novel, is not one dedicated to hope. In fact, there is a very bleak tone to the whole process, but that is what makes it such a difficult novel to write. It goes against standardised conventions and seeks to showcase a different form of story. That being the story of a villain.
So how does the concept and idea of hope play into this? It is quite simple, really. Hope in a story is what draws audience interest. It is something that needs to be reinforced on a consistent basis. Of course, I use the concept as a sort of tongue-in-cheek way of directing the reader into a false sense of security. Because, I always say to others that my writing is less a journey the reader, well, reads and more of an experience they undertake. Everything that happens to the characters is echoed with the reader.
Still, hope is a fine moral to have and with Crow, I do not intend to sway people away from what they believe, but rather provide reinforcement. In a way, Crow is something of a forewarning of what could happen in the world if those who are unfit for positions of power rise to said positions. Part of this echoes the real world, but the events of the novel are wholly fictional.
And I chose to write in that way, because hope comes not from the good, but also from the bad in our world. Hope is a reflection of our past, of our present, and of our future. Crow happens to embed all three of those thoughts within its confines. But I can say that Crow is not a novel where hope is the main theme. Indeed, hope is a plaything. A manipulation of the world for the benefits of few.
Which is why, by the end of Crow, one of the myriad of questions that a reader should ask is “Do I want this world for future generations?” The answer to that is up for debate, but most would answer “no,” for a variety of reasons. If Crow ends up being one of those reasons, then I have done something right.
Fenrir's Lair 