Q&A with Bonnie Kistler

 

Photo by Nicole McConville

 

 

Bonnie Kistler is the author of the new novel Shell Games. Her other novels include The Cage. A former Philadelphia trial lawyer, she lives in southwest Florida and western North Carolina.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Shell Games, and how did you create your characters Julie and Kate?

 

A: I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but the idea for Shell Games literally came to me in a dream. This is such a departure for me. I write realistic fiction, and my ideas usually come from actual events going on in the world. I’m not at all a mystical person.

 

But one night I had a vivid dream: I was a bride, and on our wedding night, my new husband confessed to me that he was the notorious Tylenol killer.

 

Horrified, I ran screaming to the police, but he followed hard on my heels and apologized to the police, explaining that I was having another of my “episodes.” I realized that he was trying to convince the police, and ultimately me, that I was insane.

 

When I woke up, I thought This is the gaslighting novel I need to write!

 

The character of Julie was also a departure for me. A few years ago a reader at one of my events said that what she loved about all my books was how they centered on a strong, smart woman. That was exactly my aim, but as she spoke, I suddenly thought I’m in a rut!

 

I wanted to challenge myself to create a character who isn’t particularly strong or smart, at least at the outset.

 

Julie suffered a childhood trauma, grew up in the shadow of a powerful mother, and married a domineering man. The result is that she appears as mousy and unsure of herself.

 

But over the course of the novel, circumstances force her to draw on her inner resources and to become stronger and smarter. This was a character arc I really enjoyed writing.

 

The character of her mother Kate was such fun to create. So many books and shows have been written about male titans of industry, but so few about women, unless they’re in female-coded fields like fashion or cosmetics.

 

Kate is a self-made real estate developer, rich and powerful and larger-than-life. But she’s not without her tender spots, as shown in her reawakened love for her old high school sweetheart. Her unexpected vulnerability is what makes her fascinating to me.

 

Q: How would you describe their mother-daughter dynamic?

 

A: They love each other, but that love is so freighted with complications. Kate can’t help feeling disappointed that Julie isn’t her mini-me, but also guilty for feeling disappointed. Julie can’t help feeling exasperated with her mother and her high-handedness, but also guilty for feeling exasperated.

 

Their relationship becomes even more complicated when Julie begins to fear that Kate is sinking into dementia. This is a fear confronted by many women with aging parents, and like them, Julie whipsaws between denial and a need to protect her mother. It’s almost a role reversal where she becomes the parent and her mother becomes the child.

Q: Why did you decide to focus on the issue of climate change in the novel?

 

A: I always aim first and foremost in my novels to entertain the reader. But because I’m writing contemporary fiction reflecting the real world, I also try to weave in real social issues.

 

The threat of climate change is present everywhere, but it seems especially visible in Florida, where Shell Games is set. Florida has always had to deal with hurricanes, but thanks to climate change, the threat is greater today than it ever was.

 

When I wrote Shell Games, Helene and Milton hadn’t even occurred yet, but I can’t take credit for being prescient. I’m afraid the devastation of those hurricanes was inevitable.

 

Q: The writer Matthew Blake said of the novel, “Shell Games is the ultimate one-sitting read that has everything—incredible family dynamics, characters that burst off the page and a premise so deliciously enticing and surprising that the pages quite simply turn themselves.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Matthew is the author of Anna O, one of the most exciting and highly-praised thrillers of the year, so I’m overjoyed that he liked Shell Games.

 

I especially love his statement that the characters burst off the page. To me, that’s the most important ingredient of any novel. A lot of thrillers have a terrific premise and a fast-paced plot, but without fully developed characters who seem like living, breathing people, the stories often fall flat.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing another thriller, and it’s a tricky one, with dual narratives in multiple locales and a tightly compressed timeline. At the moment I have about a dozen balls in the air. Fingers crossed that I manage to catch them all.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: One of my earlier novels, The Cage, is currently in development for adaptation as a limited series on streaming TV.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Bonnie Kistler.