by C. J. Cooke
Other elements of the story required research, too. For instance, although I’d been in a car accident in Belize I (luckily) didn’t face the kinds of police investigation that Helen does, so I needed to find out how detectives in the UK would interact with police in Belize and how the case would be handled. As with I Know My Name, I had some sterling advice from former-DCI Stuart Gibbon (of Gib Consultancy) and Graham Bartlett was also able to answer some last-minute queries.
Shortly before embarking on this book, my little girl was diagnosed with autism, and writing Reuben as an autistic character was part of processing this condition. Even so, I couldn’t simply draw on my daughter’s experience – Reuben is a fourteen-year-old boy, not a four-year-old girl, and autism tends to present differently in girls than in boys. Even so, researching autism more broadly helped me understand the condition and, fundamentally, I learned that (a) it’s a condition, not a disorder, and (b) when you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. There is no fixed set of symptoms that affects every person with autism. For instance, Reuben has difficulties with sensory processing, particularly noise, but contrary to many reductive portraits of autism he isn’t bothered by being touched – in fact he’s very affectionate and tactile.
Reuben’s fascination with blue whales came out of developing his character so I had to go off and research them as well!
How did the two storylines appear in your head? Was the choice of such disparate settings deliberate?
From memory, Belize is ferociously hot and humid, whereas the alps are dry and freezing cold – this choice was, I believe, a subconscious attempt to juxtapose two extremes, such as guilt and innocence, past and present, and capture symbolically the two stages of Michael and Helen’s lives. In the 1995 story, they are at the beginning of their adult lives, navigating new territory in their relationships. The towering peaks also symbolise the heights from which they both fall, in both a physical and moral sense. In the 2017 story, they are both weary from the burden of guilt that they’ve lived with for over two decades. The cloying heat of Central America served an important role in evoking this weariness.
The storylines were very clear in my head from the beginning but I found it tricky to weave them together. I think this was probably as a result of being too close to the story – I worried that I might be giving away too much too soon!
Were there any tricky points during the writing and editing process?
Balancing the two storylines took a good bit of finessing and drafting. Also, I experimented with a different ending at one point, and although I ultimately decided it wasn’t the right fit, it took a lot of tweaking and restructuring to tie all the narrative strands together for the current ending. Writing is often a lot like tapestry weaving!
Do you think Michael did the right thing by cutting the rope?
I think what I’m interested most in the story is dissecting the idea of the ‘right thing’. It’s a relative concept – yes, Michael did the right thing by himself, Helen and (to a degree) Theo, and we see the family he and Helen go on to have as a result. But you could also argue that no, he didn’t do the right thing, certainly not by Luke and not by the three of them, in that their lives are branded by it. In many ways it was an impossible position to be in, and at so young an age … Perhaps we all spend (too much?) time wondering if the choices we make in our lives were the right ones, because they have such a huge impact on the future, but I love the poem ‘Entirely’ by Louis MacNiece which has the line ‘in brute reality there is no / Road that is right entirely.’ Words to live by.
You cover a range of ‘invisible’ illnesses and conditions in the story, such as Complex PTSD and autism. Was this deliberate?
My writing generally deals with invisibility, or the unseen, and yes, mental illness and autism generally fit the category of ‘invisible’ conditions. I’m interested in writing about characters who seem absolutely fine on the outside but who have a lot more going on under the surface. And I was very dedicated to ensuring Reuben’s autism didn’t serve a narrative purpose. The fact is, many people have Autism Spectrum Condition and we need to understand neuro-diversity less in terms of difference but as part of the human condition – something to be embraced and celebrated.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a story about a nanny who arrives under false pretences to help out a family mired in grief after the death of the mother. It’s a whodunit set in Norway, and so a field trip or two may be required in the near future …
Reading Group questions for The Blame Game
How do the two time frames in the story complement each other? Do they work together successfully?
Who is your favourite character and why?
When Michael cuts the rope, do you think he does the right thing?
Can you discuss the theme of unseen/invisible conditions in the story?
How well does the story explore the subjects of guilt and blame?
Who do you think should carry the blame for Luke’s death?
What connections can you draw between forty-one-year old Michael and nineteen-year-old Michael?
Can you discuss how the story explores the relationships between sisters?
Before the reveal at the end, did you believe Michael to be guilty?
What have you taken away from the story?
Also by C. J. Cooke …
Komméno Island, Greece: I don’t know where I am, who I am. Help me.
A woman is washed up on a remote Greek island with no recollection of who she is or how she got there.
Potter’s Lane, Twickenham, London: Eloïse Shelley is officially missing.
Lochlan’s wife has vanished into thin air, leaving their toddler and twelve-week-old baby alone. Her money, car and passport are all in the house, with no signs of foul play. Every clue the police turn up means someone has told a lie …
Does a husband ever truly know his wife? Or a wife know her husband? Why is Eloïse missing? Why did she forget?
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About the Author
C. J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Born in Belfast, she has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. I Know My Name was C. J. Cooke’s first psychological drama and was inspired by her creative work in mental health. It is being published in several other languages and a TV adaptation is in development. The Blame Game is her second psychological drama. C. J. Cooke lives by the sea with her family.
Keep in touch with C. J. Cooke:
http://carolynjesscooke.com/
@carolyn_jess_cooke
@CJessCooke
/Carolyn-Jess-Cooke-Author
Also by C. J. Cooke
I Know My Name
As Carolyn Jess-Cooke
The Guardian Angel’s Journal
The Boy Who Could See Demons
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