Hanna is enjoying connecting with readers while promoting her new book, 'The Hysterical Girls Of St. Bernadette’s', which kicked off at Lit Books in Petaling Jaya earlier this month. Photo: The Star/Art Chen
Author Hanna Alkaf’s latest YA book, The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s, opens on a drowsy afternoon at a prestigious all-girls secondary school in Kuala Lumpur that appears ordinary ... until the screams begin.
Screaming schoolgirls are a familiar sight in this region, with Malaysia often called “the mass hysteria capital of the world”. Yet, the lingering question remains: Why does this keep happening?
The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s, published by Salaam Reads/Simon & Shuster, taps into this mystery, told from the perspectives of two students – Khadijah and Rachel – who are grappling with their own demons against the backdrop of mass hysteria incidents at their school.
The story combines several of Hanna’s obsessions – horror and the supernatural – which should come as no surprise to fans of her work, and they involve haunted buildings.
“I’m also fascinated by the concept of mass hysteria and how that spreads from person to person without any rhyme or reason. Nobody seems to really understand what causes it, how it spreads, or how to stop it from happening,” says Hanna, 39, during an interview in Petaling Jaya recently.
But if you look deeper, the underlying thread that ties everything together is rage – a deep, primal, shared anger towards the injustices that women and girls around the world have faced and continue to face today.
“I was very angry when I was reading all the news about the crimes that are being levied against women, specifically young women and girls. So I had a lot of thoughts about victimhood, particularly what it takes to be the ‘perfect victim’ and how you have to perform a certain type of victimhood in order to be believed and receive support.
‘It might seem weird to dedicate a horror-thriller book to your former school, but I think readers who went to mission schools or all-girl schools will get it,’ says Hanna. Photo: The Star/Art Chen — ART CHEN/The Star
“It was then all wrapped up in the idea of hysteria and how as a society we tend to label girls as overly emotional and brush them off when they’re trying to tell us something,” she adds.
The book also explores the power in being able to decide when to raise your voice and when to stay silent, which is depicted through Khadijah, who chooses to stop speaking after a terrible incident.
“After experiencing a loss of agency, how do you take back control? For Khadijah, it’s by deciding when and how she uses her voice,” explains Hanna, who has two young school-going children.
As for Rachel, those raised by strict, demanding parents will likely find her dilemma relatable, as she’s torn between following her innermost desires and fulfilling the lofty expectations of a controlling mother.
“I don’t think there’s any one way to experience trauma or victimhood, so it was important to me that you could come at this from two different angles, two very different girls, and see it two very different ways, but still arrive at the same point, because all our struggles are intertwined, as is our liberation,” says Hanna, who is on a busy schedule this month, visiting bookshops in the Klang Valley to promote The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s.
Next month, she will be appearing at the Singapore Writers Festival, where she will be part of two panel discussions.
Hanna's bestselling, critically acclaimed books for kids and teens, including 'The Weight Of Our Sky', 'The Girl And The Ghost', 'Queen Of The Tiles', Hamra and the Jungle Of Memories' and the new release 'The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s'. Photo: The Star/Art Chen
This new book has also garnered praise in the YA literary scene. Kirkus Reviews, an American book review magazine, described it as “a perceptive examination of trauma and its impact on women’s bodies, minds, and voices.” Meanwhile, Publishers' Weekly awarded it a starred review, noting its "piercing observations into teens' struggles for autonomy, explored alongside sensitively portrayed instances of trauma and sexual violence through immersive prose."
Hanna, who graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University, the US, says that ultimately, she hopes that society will soon reach the point where it does not demand victims to barter their bodies in return for belief.
“I also hope that young girls understand that their anger is not a liability. A lot of people will tell you that anger is unbecoming and unladylike, but I think you have to understand that there’s a time and place for anger, and in those times and places, it is one of your best weapons,” she adds.
Love letter to mission schools
All of Hanna’s works so far have been distinctly Malaysian, including The Girl And The Ghost – tale of a lonely Malaysian girl who inherits a mischievous dark spirit – which was featured among "Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club" recommendations for middle school girls last month.
The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s is no exception.
Though the school in the story is fictional, it’s inspired by Hanna’s memories of her time at Convent Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur. The title also pays homage to her mother, a former student of St Bernadette’s Convent in Batu Gajah, Perak.
Hanna is on a busy book tour across the Klang Valley this month, bringing 'The Hysterical Girls Of St Bernadette’s' to eager readers. Photo: Books Kinokuniya
In the acknowledgments, Hanna describes the story as “a love letter to my mission school days”, reflecting a deep, personal connection to her formative years and the lasting impact of that experience on her life and work.
“It might seem weird to dedicate a horror-thriller book to your former school, but I think readers who went to mission schools or all-girl schools will get it,” says Hanna.
She adds that mission schools in Malaysia have a distinct atmosphere, each carrying a unique blend of tradition and character.
“They’re old, filled with history, and there are dark nooks and crannies everywhere!”
In the process of writing the book, Hanna also discovered that mission schools have more in common than she thought.
“Did you know that some convent schools (in Malaysia) have the same motto, ‘Simple in virtue, steadfast in duty’, and even have the same badges with the marguerite daisies?
“I guess you could say I felt a bit betrayed when I found out, because we weren’t so special after all, but another way to think about it is that we’re all connected,” she says with a laugh.
Hanna also believes that a unique sisterhood connects mission school students to one another and to their school. This bond is mirrored in the book through Khadijah and Rachel’s relationships with their fellow students at St Bernadette’s, as well as in their deep connection to the school itself.
“It’s difficult to articulate, because it’s more than just school spirit or school pride. It’s a shared experience that bonds you together for life. You belong to the school and it belongs to you, even if it’s been ages since you’ve left school. That’s basically the mood I was trying to convey in the book,” she concludes.
