Tainted (35 page)

FROM
BROOKE
MORGAN
AND
AVON A

What drew you to the subject matter of this novel?

I'm an American living in London. Two young boys who murdered a three-year-old named Jamie Bulger in Liverpool were let out of jail a few years ago and were given new identities. This was big news in the press and my daughter turned to me one afternoon and said “What if I fell in love with one of those boys years from now?” Immediately, I thought: yes, absolutely, what if? Because some girl probably will. And will she know what he's done? Will he tell her? Will she ever find out if he doesn't?

I was struck by all the psychological reverberations and began to think in terms of writing a novel on those lines. The plot took shape fairly quickly, but the turning point in terms of writing was when I realized that Holly would not only fall in love with Jack, but also have a young child of her own.

The book was first published in the uk, but what drew you to the Cape Cod setting?

I spent my childhood summers in a town very like Shoreham, and as it was a special place for me, I wanted to set
Tainted
there. Although most of my time there was idyllic, on foggy wet days I always had a sense of the sinister lurking. Boats would pass by in the Canal blowing their foghorns eerily, like ghost ships, and the whole atmosphere was unsettling.

In many ways the setting echoes the themes of the book: What appears perfect on the surface can have frightening undertones.

Did you do any psychological research as you were writing the novel?

I read nonfiction books on children who have killed, and I spent a long time discussing the nature of children who commit “evil” acts with two child psychiatrists.

Jack, especially, is a frightening character. While we really don't get into his head, you certainly managed to create a vivid villain who started out as quite charming. how did you manage to do that?

I've met a few very charismatic people who have a dark, frightening side which reveals itself over time. And people, too, who seem charming and easygoing, but who hide very scary tempers. Jack was based, to a large degree, on them.

We can choose, especially with people who don't know us, to present ourselves the way we'd like to be seen, but the question is always whether we can change, hide, or suppress our essential natures.

Are there writers or movies that inspired you?

Dennis Lehane novels always inspire me. And in the middle of writing
Tainted
, I watched
Sleeping with the Enemy
again, which reminded me of what it's like to fall in love with and marry a man whom you don't really know.

What's next for you?

I'm working on my next psychological thriller, entitled
Trapped.

BROOKE MORGAN
is a Bostonian who now lives in London with her two children.
Tainted
is her first novel.

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