Paula Hawkins stopped by Good Morning America to discuss her latest novel, The Blue Hour.
Hawkins’ novel, published by Mariner last week, tells the story of an art historian who travels to a remote island where a ceramic artist whom he admires once lived. The novel is the November GMA book club pick; in a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “This propulsive thriller twists into the dark and bloody underbelly of the world of fine art.”
ABC News correspondent Janai Norman asked Hawkins where she began with her new novel.
“I began with the island, actually,” Hawkins said. “It’s this remote tidal island off the coast of Scotland. It’s a place where you could get trapped, or where you could need to get to and not be able to get there. It had everything, I thought, the setting for a crime novel needed.”
Norman asked if Hawkins found herself going down “rabbit holes” when reading about art for research for the novel.
“I really immersed myself in the arts,” Hawkins replied. “I read lots of biographies and memoirs. I love art, and I loved that part of it. I did visit some potters’ studios to watch people throwing pots, and what really struck me about that is that potters’ studios are full of little implements that you could do somebody harm with, like little knives and wires and things.”
“Why did that fascinate you?” Norman asked.
“Because I’m a crime writer!” Hawkins said. “I think about ways to kill people all the time.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
