Aggie Blum Thompson is the author of the new novel Such a Lovely Family. Her other novels include All the Dirty Secrets. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
Q: What inspired you to write Such a Lovely Family, and how did you create the Calhouns?
A: My first two books are psychological thrillers with some heavy and dark elements, and I wanted to write something a little lighter this time around.
I have two teens and they don’t agree on much, but they both loved the movie Knives Out, as did I. I decided I wanted to write a D.C. based mystery/thriller that had that same vibe — a large cast of suspects, rich people behaving badly, and while not technically a locked-room, at least a focused setting.
Ginny Calhoun, the matriarch who struggles to control her grown children, came to me first. I love the idea of a woman who never had a career, but was still ambitious, exerting her power in the domestic sphere.
I knew I wanted the family to appear accomplished and happy but really be held together by secrets and lies. In fact, their success is tightly correlated with the level of deception they live with.
Q: Why did you decide to set the novel during the cherry blossom season in D.C.?
A: Like many DMV residents, every year my family looks forward to checking out the explosion of cherry blossoms.
Our preferred spot is in Kenwood, a neighborhood in Chevy Chase not too far from where I live. Everything about it is magical and perfect, from the branches laden with pale pink blossoms to the grand houses and their immaculate lawns. There’s even a picturesque creek that runs down the middle of the main street.
So naturally, as a thriller writer, I thought to myself— this would be a good setting for a murder.
Q: The writer Kathleen Barber said of the novel, “By peeling back the polished surface of the Washington, DC, elite, Aggie Blum Thompson has crafted a masterful domestic suspense teeming with secrets stacked upon secrets.” What do you think of that description?
A: Oooh, I love it! I think it captures exactly what I was going for. The first line of chapter one in the book is “Trying to be this perfect hurts.” And that’s the story of the Calhouns.
They are trying so hard to appear perfect, and are so focused on how other perceive them, that they are oblivious to the pain it causes themselves and others. Or maybe they are not oblivious but view it as the price that must be paid to maintain their image.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I hope to give readers a few hours of pure, unadulterated fun. Nothing makes me happier than when readers tell me they were compelled to keep turning the pages.
There is a lot of darkness and stress in the world today, and we are more aware of it then ever thanks to social media and relentless coverage. If I can provide readers with a temporary escape, I am thrilled.
I think anyone who loves to solve puzzles and enjoys traditional whodunnits will get a kick out of this book.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’ve just turned in my fourth novel, You Deserve to Know, which takes place in Bethesda, and I am currently brainstorming for book number five.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Come say “hi” on Instagram or Facebook. I love to hear from readers!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Aggie Blum Thompson.
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