Interview: Rachel Paris talks abouts about See How They Fall

Rachel Paris won the Phoenix Prize for the best manuscript in her Masters at Auckland University. She came to writing after a highly successful 20-year law career, specialising in fintech. She gained her Masters in Law at Harvard University. See How They Fall is her debut novel, and she talks to NZ Booklovers.

Tell us a little about See How They Fall.

See How They Fall is a twisty thriller that centres on the billionaire Turner dynasty.  It has been described as Succession meets Big Little Lies set in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

When the Turner patriarch passes away, there are power struggles among his adult sons and, by the end of the weekend, one family member is dead and another is fighting for their life. The question is, who did it, and why? And that’s where the story really kicks off. There is more to the Turner family than meets the eye, and they will stop at nothing to prevent the unravelling of their empire. While the novel goes to some dark places, it is ultimately a story about female courage and solidarity. 

What inspired you to write this book?

The power of a mother’s love was the initial spark for See How They Fall. As a mum of three, I couldn’t imagine a more compelling premise for a story than a mother trying to protect her young child from danger. Then I thought how terrifying it would be if the source of the danger was from within the child’s own family, the very people who were supposed to ensure her safety, and so the story became an accidental thriller.  There are four mother-child relationships central to the book, and for me See How They Fall is very much a story about the strength of women, and the power of the bond between a mother and her child at all stages of life.

What research was involved?

I wanted the story to be as accurate as possible, so I extensively researched different murder methods, forensic pathology, psychosis, police and legal procedure, black ops intelligence and surveillance technologies. Given my search history, I wouldn’t be surprised if my name is at the top of the GCSB watchlist, and it’s fair to say my poor husband has slept with one eye open since he read the first draft.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

I wrote the first half of the novel in the Master of Creative Writing Programme at the University of Auckland and it was very much a process of discovery as I had never written fiction before. There was a lot of writing and deleting and revising.  When the course finished, I had a break from the manuscript for a couple of months, and then I rushed out the second half of the book quite quickly.

Since we have a busy household, and I was winding balancing the writing with family commitments, legal work and university, I wrote in snippets of time wherever and whenever I could.

If a soundtrack was made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.

Portishead’s Glory Box, Massive Attack’s Teardrop and PJ Harvey’s This Mess We’re In.

If your book were made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the lead characters?

If dreams were free, I’d cast Margot Robbie as Skye Turner, Jess Hong as detective Mei O’Connor, and the three Hemsworth brothers as the three Turner brothers.

What did you enjoy the most about writing this novel?

Coming up with the characters out of thin air and getting to know them over time was probably my favourite part of the process. They feel so real to me.

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

I had a delicious dinner with the family and toasted a glass of bubbles!

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. Catherine’s ability to blend an inventive premise with beautiful line-level writing, a haunting setting, memorable characters and a cracking story makes the novel a fantastic, relentlessly creepy read.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’m writing my second novel, ‘GILT’, which is going to be a modern reimagining of Virgina Woolf’s classic novel, Mrs Dalloway, but set in Sydney with a pinch of murder and mayhem and more toxic rich people behaving badly!

Moa Press