In reviews of The Raw Shark Texts there are a lot of references to films as The Matrix, Memento, Jaws and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Did these films indeed inspire you?

I think it’s fair to say that they did, either consciously or unconsciously. Books, films and music are important to me and they are important to Eric, the novel’s narrator. Eric has a habit of describing and defining his life through the films he has seen and the books he has read. Recognising these familiar elements in the world of the novel provides some important clues for the reader.




Also, you must be a huge fan of Murakami and Paul Auster. Or does these suggestions bother you, because they didn’t influence you at all?

I am a huge fan of both Auster and Murakami, so those suggestions don’t bother me at all – I find it very flattering. For the longest time no one talked about Paul Auster in relation to my work, but – even though I’d never compare myself to the great man – it’s true that without City of Glass there would never have been a Raw Shark Texts. That book opened my eyes in so many ways.



Are you somehow attracted to the possible existence of hidden, parallel universe? Do you even believe in it?

Well, Many Worlds Theory suggests that we’re surrounded by alternate dimensions where our lives are played out again and again in millions of different ways. I’m not sure I'm a believer as such, but I find that idea really fascinating and if I were someone who had lost a loved one - like my narrator – I’m sure I would be very attractive too. The idea that the person they have lost may still be out there somewhere. Things aren’t clear-cut with Eric, we have to ask - is it science, delusion or something else?





In a way people more than ever tend to flirt with the possibility of parallel worlds, not only in literature and film. What does this say about our ‘real’ world, do you think?

There’s that well-discussed idea that we are trying to escape for the fear and horror of the real world into alternate existences, and while I’m sure that’s an important element of what’s happening, I don’t think it’s the whole story. Since ancient times people have experimented with ways to experience different realities, now we have the technology to do it without the drugs. I think human beings are by nature explorers. Some of this might be the urge to escape, but there’s the urge to discover too.





What was the hardest thing you had to deal with while writing this book?

Lack of money.




Is it true your debut will be turned into film soon? If so, the makers will have a difficult job. Given your own background as a maker of videos, you might be involved, or not?

FilmFour have the option rights to a Raw Shark Texts film and are working to develop it at the moment. Hopefully it will happen – the film world is still very mysterious to me! I was offered the option of writing a screenplay for the film, but in the end I think it’s better for me to concentrate on Raw Shark Texts the novel, and on my next book.




I also read that Nicole Kidman was so obsessed with the story that she asked you to change the sex of the lead character, so she could play him/her. Is that true?

I wouldn’t say obsessed! Nicole Kidman was generous enough to call me and tell me how much she enjoyed the book, but I was never asked that directly. A suggestion along those lines was made later, but she didn’t ask me that herself, no.




Are you working/writing on something new right now?

Yes, I am in the very early planning stages of my next book, which is a very exciting place to be for me. Having spent so long writing and talking about Raw Shark Texts, it feels good to finally be working on something new.