Haven't They Grown: January Book Club

Crocky

Weird was a word that frequently appeared and to begin with it could have been applied to most of the characters in the book and the plot. As the ‘listener’ to the narrator and conversations between characters I was not sure exactly where it was going but gradually I began to understand the who, what and why. It was well written and worth reading.
My question to Sophie is:- it was a clever move to use the same names for both sets of children as it made me imagine even more weird options, was that her intention?

Yes absolutely! I hoped it would create the impression that, even if we know these children cannot be the same Thomas and Emily as the ones Beth knew, there’s still something deeply sinister going on: Are they ‘replacements’ somehow? Is Flora delusional? I wanted to add as many weird layers to the story as possible, to have the reader constantly asking questions.

barboofa

I was intrigued by the idea that the children hadn't grown. The start of the story was a bit slow for me, but once Sophie Hannah, exposed the controlling behaviour of Lewis towards Flora and all the characters of their 'household' I became hooked to find out if what would happen. Would Flora escape Lewis's depth of depravity? Would Beth be murdered. What would happen to all the children. I enjoyed the faster pace of the later part of the book.
My question to Sophie Hannah is, did you write the book with the intention of exposing the potential impact and dynamics of domestic violence, specifically the offence of coercive control?

Sophie highlighted the depths of depravity

Perhaps not specifically, but domestic violence in a broad sense is something I’m always interested in; it’s by far the most common kind of violence in our society and also the most terrifying - because it’s perpetrated by those who should be protectors, nurturers, trusted. People are at their most vulnerable in the home and I wanted to reflect the fact that murderers and abusers are also well-loved friends, bosses and spouses.

Buddie

I should like to ask Sophie what the starting point for this novel was. Did she set out to explore the relationships and problems within them or was the start the idea of the children not growing up? I would also be interested to know how she thinks Beth would cope with her part in the final drama given that the sight of the children apparently remaining the same age for twelve years had unsettled her so much.

The starting point was the idea of the children who haven’t grown up, and the rest of the plot flowed from there. Once I’d had the idea for the hook, my next job was to work out what on earth could be going on, very much like Beth! I looked at numerous possibilities to explore what kind of relationship and characters could result in this situation.

emmasnan

I found this a bit far fetched and felt it lost its way a little at times but I did enjoy it.
I would like to ask Sophie if she had the complete plot worked out, including the ending of the story before she wrote the book or did she start with a general idea and built on that as she wrote.

As I say, I’m a planner! I had the bones of the story in my head before I even sat down to plan, and I knew what the ending would be and roughly how we’d get there. I wouldn’t feel at all comfortable starting to write a novel without knowing where’d I’d end up. I like to know chapter by chapter what’s happening before I start writing. When I have this clear vision it’s so much easier.

GrannyBear

I would like to ask Sophie why she introduced Ben to the story, and then then gave him virtually no further role as the events unfolded. What did she feel were the underlying dynamics within this family?

Ben didn’t have a starring role, and that’s because he was part of Beth’s nice, ordinary life, like Dom. I thought it was important that Beth’s domestic and work life – which Dom keeps trying to pull her back into - continued quietly in the background. Ben, like most teenage boys I know, was just off doing his own thing and had no interest at all in his mum’s shenanigans!

eGJ

Like many of the others I put my comments and a question on the other thread as soon as I had read it!

I am glad I persisted reading this book as it did not appear in the first chapter to be the sort of book I would usually read. Once I got into it I read it in one session abandoning everything else!!

However it was well worth continuing and I want to ask Sophie there will be a sequel.

Haven’t They Grown is one of my standalone thrillers so no, there won’t be a sequel. I do enjoy the continuity of a series – there are 10 books in my Culver Valley Crime series – but in this case, it’s the last we’ll see of these characters.

Maggiemaybe

My question to the author would be about the scene with the teacher and the alleged racism. Why was this included and how did it fit in with the rest of the narrative?

As I mentioned above: the situation with the teacher gives Beth the encouragement she needs to continue to help Flora. She feels empowered by her handling of the school situation and realises that it’s possible to feel scared but to take action regardless.

Nuala

Thank you for the free copy. I enjoyed the book, found it to be a page turner and read it in two sittings. The characters are well drawn and the plot has a few good twists. I didn't enjoy this novel as much as some of Sophie Hannah's earlier books. I would like to ask Sophie if she intends to write any more "Culver Valley" crime novels?

Yes, I’m just about to start writing one, in fact! I’ve been busy with other projects, including my Hercule Poirot series and a self-help book and podcast, both called ‘How To Hold A Grudge’ - but watch this space for more Culver Valley!

GeminiJen

Two questions for Sophie
1.Several posters have commented on the racism incident at Zannah’s school. While I agree with all the reservations expressed, I did wonder if this had been included to introduce the idea of recording the incident as a kind of advance organizer for the denouement?
2.From the many books that you’ve written, is there one that you would recommend for someone who, while critical of this book, should like to read more of your work?

Yes, Zannah using her phone to record evidence does give Beth the idea in the final scenes that she could record things on her phone. It’s one of the many useful things her teenage daughter manages to teach her along the way!

As for which of my other books to read, those who enjoy police procedurals might like to have a look at the Culver Valley series, or if you enjoy the style of the standalone thriller there’s Did You See Melody? or The Understudy which I wrote with 3 other writers. And hopefully any Agatha Christie or golden-age crime fans will enjoy my Hercule Poirot series – the forth of which, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill will be out this August.

nahsma

Although I enjoyed this, I found parts of it totally unbelievable - particularly the role of Kevin and Yanika, and the school receptionist giving out so much information seemed highly unlikely. I also wondered what was the purpose of the 'racist' incident at Zannah's school? It felt like a sub-plot that just got left by the wayside, with no real relevance to the main thrust of the plot.
Despite all that, I kept turning the pages, and would happily try another Sophie Hannah novel.
My question for Sophie is: did she physically go to the places where Beth went - or at least to the general area, if houses/hotels/etc are imaginary - or were they all researched online?

I do often use real neighbourhoods and buildings when I’m imagining locations for my books. The Braids’ house, for example, is based on a house I know, as is the Leesons’. And I stayed in Florida in the same hotel that Beth visits - the Delray Beach Marriott. I travel a lot so I get a lot of inspiration that way. Houses and locations have very specific atmospheres and I try to use ones which are, in my head, appropriate to my characters and plot. It helps with my vision and hopefully allows me to create more realistic scenes.

What interesting and informative answers. They've really given me a much better insight into the book, and the art of the author. Thank you very much for answering my question - I get it now! And I'm looking forward to trying some of the police procedurals recommended.

I'd like to add my thanks to those of Maggiemaybe.
It really adds to the experience when an author takes time to respond to the questions and issues raised by readers.
So, thanks to Sophie for doing this. I'll certainly be trying out some of the books recommended.
Thanks too to GN for having this format for the Book Club.

Thanks Sophie for taking the time to rely. It's great seeing the answers to all the different questions that were in my head when reading the book.