Setting performs a serious position in all 5 of my psychological thrillers. In a few of my books, I take advantage of a twin setting and catapult my most important character into a spot the place she feels that she doesn’t belong. Belonging and the sense of house are recurrent themes in my books. As I’m initially from North Devon and Northern Eire, these are often the locations that symbolize house in my novels. As a British expat dwelling in France, they’re additionally the locations I consider as house and I’ve been identified to get fairly homesick.
The Couple at Causeway Cottage, my fifth novel, is the second to be set in Northern Eire. The Silent Good friend (2020/2021) is about in Belfast and Lyon, France, the place I stay, and The Couple at Causeway Cottage is about partly in London and Ilfracombe, North Devon… however primarily on Rathlin Island.
I’ve visited Rathlin Island a number of occasions — as a toddler, then once more a number of years in the past with my dad and mom, who stay in Ballycastle, my husband, youngsters and canine. After a moderately tough crossing on the Rathlin Categorical, we hiked throughout the island.
The views had been breathtaking and the climate was lovely. We visited the chook sanctuary, noticed two of Rathlin’s three lighthouses and had dinner at McCuaig’s Bar. I used to be very impressed with the first faculty, which on the time I visited, had solely 11 pupils. As an English trainer in France, I've as much as 34 pupils in every of my lessons. Lastly, we had a a lot smoother crossing again to Ballycastle.
All day lengthy, my thoughts was whirring, questioning what it might be wish to stay right here within the winter, when islanders can find yourself stranded — both on the island or on the mainland — as a result of storms.
Once I obtained on the ferry to go away Rathlin that day, I knew I'd set my subsequent novel there. Even earlier than the characters took type in my head and the plot got here to me, I had a transparent concept of the setting.
As the one inhabited island off the Northern Eire coast, Rathlin offers a moderately distinctive setting for a novel. Northern Irish authors Bernie McGill and Bernard MacLaverty have each used Rathlin because the backdrop to their historic novels, and, tremendously impressed by each authors’ works in addition to by the island itself, I made a decision to set my modern-day psychological thriller, The Couple at Causeway Cottage, right here.
My most important character, Kat Fisher, and her husband, Mark, transfer to Rathlin Island to be nearer to Mark’s ailing mom, who's in a care house in Ballycastle. The Fishers are determined for a recent begin. Each Kat and Mark have household ties to Northern Eire, however they’re harbouring secrets and techniques about their previous which they wish to hold buried, they usually threaten to resurface with lethal penalties.
The novel opens with Kat’s first glimpse of the island from the ferry. She wonders if she has made a mistake in permitting her husband to steer her to maneuver right here. She has by no means seen her new home — Causeway Cottage — and even set foot on the island. Nevertheless, she’s a eager photographer and desires of constructing a dwelling from her interest. Rathlin will present the proper setting for this objective, with its abundance of wildlife and chook species, in addition to its beautiful views. It’s additionally a spot the place she will be able to escape from her hectic life in London and Mark’s clingy ex-wife.
The setting actually is a personality in its personal proper. I couldn’t think about setting this novel anyplace else.
The sense of place grows as Kat’s character develops and Rathlin offers an emotional panorama for her story. Her temper and temperament typically mirror the climate, for instance, when she’s caught inside her cottage for 3 days upon arriving as a result of torrential rains, however she’s itching to get out and discover her new habitat. Moreover, the climate and panorama impacts the selections she makes in addition to inflicting her to be indecisive at occasions.
However the setting doesn’t all the time work with Kat, in concord; at occasions it really works in opposition to her, in counterpoint. Whereas she appreciates Rathlins’s magnificence, Kat quickly feels lonely and remoted. She wonders if she’ll all the time really feel like an outsider right here or if she’ll finally slot in. Earlier than lengthy, she realises that she’s at risk, however she doesn’t know who she will be able to belief.
One of the crucial climactic chapters takes place on the night time a storm unleashes its fury on the island with Kat getting caught within the gales and a violent downpour. The ferries can’t function and, because of this, not solely can Mark not get house, however Kat can’t get away, both. She’s trapped and frightened, a prisoner within the very place she escaped to at first of the novel.
The Couple at Causeway Cottage is my lockdown ebook. Due to journey restrictions, I used to be unable to return to Rathlin for a area journey, so I relied largely on my reminiscence, utilizing the web to fill in any gaps. I used to be additionally fortunate sufficient to get my fingers on a replica of the illustrated information, Eight Walks on Rathlin Island by native writer Nicky Sebastian.
He kindly gifted me a replica of his ebook, which proved to be invaluable when making an attempt to get the setting proper. In return, I've despatched him a replica of my novel.
Writing The Couple at Causeway Cottage throughout lockdown supplied me with important escapism. Throughout this era, though I used to be instructing full-time from house, I obtained to spend so much of high quality time with my youngsters and husband, and I made essentially the most of that, however, on the identical time, I additionally felt lower off from my roots.
I’m holding a ebook launch on Rathlin Island as we speak, the day of the Rathlin Run, which options in my novel. I can’t wait to return there!
The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey, HQ Digital, is on the market now