Whats been the reader response to that scene?
Not surprisingly, it gets mentioned a lot. On balance, the majority of people think that I was right to keep it in. However, a few people do disagree, but I’m glad to say that it doesn’t appear to have spoiled anyone’s enjoyment of the book at all. And it can easily be skipped without losing anything of the overall plot. Tell me, when it comes to violence, are there any lines you would not cross? Or can fiction be devoid of moral responsibility? I personally wouldn’t write a scene that involved gratuitous violence against a child or children, because I find that sort of thing too shocking. I think a writer has a responsibility to be careful what he or she writes, because certain crimes should never be viewed, however indirectly, as entertainment. But at the same time, I prefer the idea of self-censorship to that of censorship by any other body. Speaking of children, you have two daughters of your own — Amy, 5, and Rachel, 14 months. Do you think that having children affects your writi
