The Fury is an exhilarating psychological thriller about a reclusive ex-movie star, who invites a small group of her closest friends for a weekend away, on her small private island … And in forty-eight hours, one of them will be dead. Alex Michaelides is known for his plot twists, and he chats here about how he crafted his thrilling new novel, The Fury, and where, when and how to introduce a plot twist for the biggest shock factor, as well as his writing influences. Michaelides was born in Cyprus to an English mother and a Greek-Cypriot father. He has an M.A. in English from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
In your opinion, what distinguishes a well-executed plot twist from one that feels forced or contrived?
I think when something comes out of left field, and feels completely unrelated towards what has gone before, a twist falls flat. I was never entirely happy with the twist in my second book, but in my first novel, The Silent Patient, the twist felt organic to the characters and the story. I think that’s the key, really. You need to find something that, although surprising, is also inevitable. It’s not easy to do, but I enjoy a challenge!
Are there any classic thriller novels or authors who have significantly influenced your approach to crafting plot twists?
Agatha Christie, of course, and Ruth Rendell. I particularly admire Rendell, I think she is an absolute genius. Her characters are so deep and dark and, however surprising their actions, they are always totally believable. Apart from them, my main influence is Hitchcock. I watch his films constantly, and study their construction. I would say those three artists are in my head the whole time.
Can you discuss the role of character development in setting the stage for a compelling plot twist?
I think about character a lot. I admired Agatha Christie as a child, and a teenager – and as an adult! I return to her all the time. But what I wanted to do when I wrote my first crime novel was to write a Christie plot with a deeper emotional complexity. So I always spend time with the characters, once I have the basic shape of the book. I think about them a great deal. I work out all of their childhood histories, their relationships, and live with them in my head for a long time. A lot of that doesn’t make it into the book. It’s not important that the reader knows all of this, it’s important that I know it. And then the characters are hopefully not just puppets in a show but actual living people.
How do you balance foreshadowing to hint at a twist without giving too much away too soon?
I always follow the advice of Sophie Hannah, the best-selling author, who advises writing as a little exposition as you possibly can, in the early chapters; as little as you can get away with. And so, in the early drafts, I tend to overdo the foreshadowing, making it all rather obvious – but then I weed it out as I re-write. I suppose I keep going back and forth, adding and subtracting clues as I go.
“I think the plot twist should come after climax of the novel; I think it needs to be an extra spin that flips everything in the new direction.”
How do you decide the optimal placement of a plot twist within the narrative to maximize its impact on the reader?
I think the plot twist should come after climax of the novel; I think it needs to be an extra spin that flips everything in the new direction. Therefore I like to have it as late in the book as I possibly can. Although my editor in New York, Ryan Doherty, when he first read The Silent Patient, said that it was missing a few chapters in conclusion. And he was right, so now I do tend to try and explore the story a little further, after the twist, just to wrap everything up satisfactorily.
Have you ever faced challenges in keeping a plot twist under wraps during the writing process? How do you maintain secrecy without sacrificing narrative coherence?
I don’t tend to talk to anybody about my plot twists for months as I write. Which drives you completely mad! Christie said that writing a detective story is like coming up with a new recipe, and you don’t know if it’s worked until you’ve made it and you’ve given it to someone to taste. I really agree with that. I think it’s important that I believe in the twist, and the story, and make it as good as I can. And then, once I think it’s readable, which usually takes several drafts, I get outside advice. I have been very fortunate with my editors, who are just brilliant, and make the book so much better. But it’s important to me to make sure it’s the best I can make it before anyone else criticises it. The biggest advice I can give a writer is not to share their work before it’s ready. When I was younger, I would send out scripts willy-nilly, assuming my first drafts were good enough to be read. The simple truth is they weren’t. All writing is rewriting, and it takes many, many attempts for me to get something even half decent.
READ AN EXTRACT FROM ‘THE FURY’ >>
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