Aggie Blum Thompson is the author of the new novel You Deserve to Know. Her other novels include Such a Lovely Family. She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Q: What inspired you to write You Deserve to Know?
A: I was with some girlfriends, drinking and chatting, when someone mentioned that a couple that they knew from high school was getting a divorce. Apparently, they had been close with another couple and the husband from one marriage had fallen in love with the wife from the other. Other people started chiming in that they knew couples that had divorced and “switched” partners like this.
I imagined a book called “Double Couple” about two couples that do everything together and ending up “switching” mates. My editor thought “Double Couple” sounded like a book about swingers — so we scratched that, and I added a third couple to the mix. But I kept the same premise, only it’s three couples that are too close for comfort.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters Aimee, Gwen, and Lisa?
A: At one point in the book Aimee talks about other mom friends being more like colleagues, meaning friendly co-workers in the business of raising their children together.
I think that captures the sense of camaraderie and intimacy they share, one that can grow quite quickly when experiencing the same life stages but does not necessarily reflect a true connection. As the book progresses, we see how little the three women really know each other at all.
Of course, a triangle can often be tricky — with one person feeling left out and if one of the people (or two) is unstable the triangle can turn toxic very fast.
Q: The writer Samantha M. Bailey has called you the “master of suburban scandal.” What do you think of that description, and how did you end up writing suspense novels set in suburbia?
A: I love that description! The short answer is that I live in suburbia and I love writing mysteries. There are many wonderful aspects to living in the burbs, but there’s an undercurrent of unease and dissatisfaction, which I like to explore in my books. It’s a focus on the image of perfection that begs to be pierced.
Of course, if I lived in a small village, I’m sure I’d be writing murder mysteries with a protagonist like Miss Marple. So, it may say more about me than it does about the suburbs.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: Absolutely nothing but a good time! I hope to give them a few hours away from their worries and their woes.
I like to think this is a smart thriller, one that gives you both entertainment and a puzzle to chew on mentally. I hope that last chapter makes the reader think long and hard about everything they thought they understood about these women.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now I am working on my fifth book — also suburban noir — about a Bethesda woman who must convince her friends and family that she was indeed kidnapped (they don’t believe her) and winds up solving a year-old murder in her neighborhood.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: People often ask me if my characters are based on real people and the answer is . . . not really. I do use little details that I gather in everyday life — a childhood in upstate New York, having twins, professions, etc. — but I put it in the blender of my mind and mix it up with a lot of made-up stuff so the results are purely fictional characters.
On the other hand, I like to name my book’s minor character after friends and neighbors.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Aggie Blum Thompson.
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