Author, screenwriter and Rubbanecka creator, Saul Delino, discusses his debut novel, Trespassers, and his plans for the future.
Tell us, in a nutshell, what Trespassers is about?
Trespassers is about a man striving to regain control of his life when his world comes crashing down around his ears in the days running up to the Notting Hill Carnival. At the beginning of the story, Vin is in turmoil over to the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, which he blames on the arrival of a half-brother he never knew existed. As part of a gang, he gets drawn into a criminal act that sees the other two boys sent to a young offender's institute. Seizing his second chance, he changes his life and goes on to become a successful architect. However, childhood experiences have made him emotionally detached from those closest to him leading to betrayal and upheaval so when his old school friends return seeking vengeance, things come to a head which force him to confront himself and his past.
What inspired you to write it?
I was interested in the lengths people will go to to avoid confronting their issues. I was also intrigued by the methods people use to establish and maintain a sense of control, the things they say and do and what information they choose to share or withhold in order to do so.
How would you classify Trespassers in terms of genre?
I would say that Trespassers is a work of urban literary fiction rooted in the crime genre. I was interested in the idea of karma playing a part in the destinies of the main characters because, in reality, so many crimes go unpunished by the law, but at the same time, karma often has the final say.
Can you tell us about some of the themes the book explores?
Control is the dominant them, but some other themes are: the dis-empowering effect of the past on the present; loyalty and betrayal, the volatile nature of relationships; and the knock on effects of family dysfunction.
Who would you say your audience is?
Well, I think I'm about to find out! I never really wrote Trespassers with a particular audience in mind so I'd like to think that my audience will choose me, but in my mind my readership is cultured and curious about life and relationships. A bit like myself, I suppose.
Are there any similarities between you and the main protagonist?
Well, that’s for others to decide. We have similar cultural backgrounds, have both trained as architects and grown up in West London. As a person, I’m not so sure. I'd like to think I'm not as self-absorbed as Vin, but I can certainly identify with his drive and determination.
Why did you set up Rubbanecka?
I wanted to create vignettes on modern themes. I grew up on Aesop’s Fables so I view these scenes as modern fables without any particular moral. I want to put our cultural dilemmas under the spotlight. We are living at what I believe to be a pivotal time in human history and in the future, I want people to be able to look back and see who we were and the issues we struggled with, for better or worse.
So, where did the name, Rubbanecka, come from?
I was thinking about what makes an unusual event so impossible to ignore, like a car crash or a streaker at a football match, for example. I liked the idea that you can’t help looking at situations like these, even if they are distasteful or distressing because of their shear realness and the honesty of the human response to them, whether that be empathy, shock, disgust, whatever.
How do you come up with your scenes?
Each scene is based on one of the seven deadly sins and/or their opposing virtues, set in a modern, urban context. I wanted a sound, overarching framework for the stories that gives me plenty of scope for exploration.
What are your goals for the future?
The main thing is to build a dedicated readership for the blog. I also want to promote Trespassers as widely as possible, maybe even adapt it for the screen. Then I want to write another novel.
Trespassers is about a man striving to regain control of his life when his world comes crashing down around his ears in the days running up to the Notting Hill Carnival. At the beginning of the story, Vin is in turmoil over to the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, which he blames on the arrival of a half-brother he never knew existed. As part of a gang, he gets drawn into a criminal act that sees the other two boys sent to a young offender's institute. Seizing his second chance, he changes his life and goes on to become a successful architect. However, childhood experiences have made him emotionally detached from those closest to him leading to betrayal and upheaval so when his old school friends return seeking vengeance, things come to a head which force him to confront himself and his past.
What inspired you to write it?
I was interested in the lengths people will go to to avoid confronting their issues. I was also intrigued by the methods people use to establish and maintain a sense of control, the things they say and do and what information they choose to share or withhold in order to do so.
How would you classify Trespassers in terms of genre?
I would say that Trespassers is a work of urban literary fiction rooted in the crime genre. I was interested in the idea of karma playing a part in the destinies of the main characters because, in reality, so many crimes go unpunished by the law, but at the same time, karma often has the final say.
Can you tell us about some of the themes the book explores?
Control is the dominant them, but some other themes are: the dis-empowering effect of the past on the present; loyalty and betrayal, the volatile nature of relationships; and the knock on effects of family dysfunction.
Who would you say your audience is?
Well, I think I'm about to find out! I never really wrote Trespassers with a particular audience in mind so I'd like to think that my audience will choose me, but in my mind my readership is cultured and curious about life and relationships. A bit like myself, I suppose.
Are there any similarities between you and the main protagonist?
Well, that’s for others to decide. We have similar cultural backgrounds, have both trained as architects and grown up in West London. As a person, I’m not so sure. I'd like to think I'm not as self-absorbed as Vin, but I can certainly identify with his drive and determination.
Why did you set up Rubbanecka?
I wanted to create vignettes on modern themes. I grew up on Aesop’s Fables so I view these scenes as modern fables without any particular moral. I want to put our cultural dilemmas under the spotlight. We are living at what I believe to be a pivotal time in human history and in the future, I want people to be able to look back and see who we were and the issues we struggled with, for better or worse.
So, where did the name, Rubbanecka, come from?
I was thinking about what makes an unusual event so impossible to ignore, like a car crash or a streaker at a football match, for example. I liked the idea that you can’t help looking at situations like these, even if they are distasteful or distressing because of their shear realness and the honesty of the human response to them, whether that be empathy, shock, disgust, whatever.
How do you come up with your scenes?
Each scene is based on one of the seven deadly sins and/or their opposing virtues, set in a modern, urban context. I wanted a sound, overarching framework for the stories that gives me plenty of scope for exploration.
What are your goals for the future?
The main thing is to build a dedicated readership for the blog. I also want to promote Trespassers as widely as possible, maybe even adapt it for the screen. Then I want to write another novel.
