The Ruins is my second novel, and unlike many second novels, it was wedged in my imagination all the time I was writing my first, Madam. When the time came for me to write it, the words flowed easier than ever before – from the opening, to every plot point, to the height of the climax and the slow ease of the resolution. I can’t tell you exactly why, but just like my protagonists – and hopefully the reader – I was swept up by the decadent summer holiday, the intrigue, the tragedy, the horror, and the revenge contained within the pages.
begins with a prologue. Prologues seem to be a popular trend in contemporary literature, and they are something my agent and my two editors encourage. It is a promise, a dash of excitement, a taste before the reader is launched into the novel. I imagine the prologue is designed for two things: to give the reader a taste of the writing – thethe general colour – and to give the reader a sense of where you’re going, a glimpse of the ending, perhaps, which was the case in my first novel. The prologue in doesn’t refer to the novel’s ending, but gives a sense of place, or atmosphere, and a taste of the bigger picture. More significantly, it shows a catalytic event that happens just hours after the novel’s beginning time, an event – the aftermath of a car accident – that changes everything for everyone and sets a standard for the rest of the novel. Lastly, it tells the reader what I am trying to say about damage, accountability and the difference between men and women in the world I’ve created.
