Capital Conversations: Micah Nemerver on “These Violent Delights”

By Maurice Burbridge | March 31, 2025

Photo Credit: Rafael Soldi

Most known for his debut novel, “These Violent Delights,” Micah Nemerever divulged how his unique experiences, perspective, and process resulted in the publishing of Literary Hub’s best book of the year.

Before his literary debut in 2020, he attended the University of Connecticut, where he studied art history and queer theory. However, the roots of his story about Paul and Julian–two codependent, volatile young Jewish lovers from starkly different economic backgrounds—can be traced back to his own childhood experiences. 

“The biggest inspiration was honestly some romantic friendships I had as a teenager—those were nowhere near as destructive as what Paul and Julian have going on, obviously, but still very codependent and unhealthy,” said Nemerever.

These relationships left a lasting fascination with how love between two people can lead them to bring out each other's worst qualities. 

The writing process for “These Violent Delights” was not originally intended to result in a novel. For years, Nemerever had been returning to the idea of two precocious teenagers carrying out a murder, and as the character vignettes grew into something more coherent, so did the project. 

Nemerever explained, “This seems to be how I write books in general—I start with an image or a character dynamic and write some sketches around it, and then before I know it, I’m working on a full-length book. It always sneaks up on me.”

Nemerever’s novel centers on the graphically horrific and erotic relationship between two college students. But he always considered the story a tragedy. He aimed to accurately depict how first loves can feel emotionally violent, even in the most juvenile relationships, while avoiding condoning abuse by accident. “It’s a question of being romantic but not romanticizing, and I think centering the story around consequences was how I aimed to do that.”

“These Violent Delights” was written almost exclusively at home, as Nemerever preferred to  limit distractions.” He has the utmost respect for people who can write anywhere else, and admits they’re much better than himself at tuning things out.

The research process came much more naturally. As a visual person, he chose to study the visual culture of the 1970’s. This included watching movies filmed in that decade in the Pittsburgh area (where the book is set), studying old real estate listings and browsing vintage casserole dishes on Etsy. He also read newspaper archives to understand major anxieties in the broader culture at the time, to ensure the novel would feel true to the time. 

Some bits of subtext needed nothing but his own Jewish experiences, which he recognizes may come through stronger for readers who have that shared perspective. He believes Paul makes more sense as a character when you consider generational trauma relative to the Holocaust, manifesting in his alienation from the world and suspicion of authority.

This extends to Julian’s family, who “is also shaped by their Jewish background in subtle ways that might resonate more clearly with readers who understand tensions around assimilation and mixed-faith marriages.”

Despite Julian being a co-protagonist, the entire novel is written from the perspective of Paul. Nemerever enjoyed writing such an unreliable narrator and hopes that this unreliability becomes slowly apparent to readers over the course of the book. 

“It’s always fun for me to hear from readers which moment Paul ‘lost’ them, because it’s a little different for everybody,” he said.

His novel’s title comes from Shakespeare’s quote, “These violent delights have violent ends.” This inspiration only came to Nemerever very late in the process, but in retrospect, he doesn’t know how any of the other choices ever seemed better. 

The journey of finding a narratively satisfying conclusion was much the same. “I did something extremely unwise, against all good writing advice, and started seriously writing “These Violent Delights” without an ending in mind.” He workshopped various endings, but ultimately, it felt like the story could have ended no other way.

“It feels inevitable now that it’s written.”

As for his own advice, he encouraged aspiring authors to be compassionate with themselves while still holding themselves accountable. He also emphasized that writing for publication requires the determination to persevere through rejections and long hours of hard work.

“Let yourself feel your feelings—but also remember that only you can tell your story, and if you want it to exist in the world, you are responsible for it.”

Nemerever is approximately 75 percent completed with a new novel, about a dysfunctional family of chess prodigies. He’s also been working on another peculiar horror novel, which he expects to be his third book-length project. 

“Both have been slow going, because I’m meticulous and a giant perfectionist, and can only write on the weekends due to my day job, but I’m determined to make sure “These Violent Delights” isn’t an only child,” Nemerever said.

“These Violent Delights” by Nemerever is available for purchase wherever you buy books, including The Book House, a local bookstore. The novel is also available to be borrowed via the Upper Hudson Library System. 

This interview was conducted over email.