Can an exorbitant amount of money dehumanize someone? Perhaps fuel a kind of evil that destroys life? Author Eliza Jane Brazier explores this very idea with characters driven by greed.
in good rich manIn , we meet Lyla and Graham, a couple who take a wicked pleasure in ruining people's lives. They enjoy renting out apartments for free to residents who have worked hard and saved money. Although this appears to be an altruistic act, it is actually a sick and twisted game that Lyla and Graham are having fun with. Together with Graham's mother Margo, they enjoy slowly destroying the lives of their innocent tenants. The three are only satisfied by playing an evil game of human chess, whether it's by enabling opioid addiction or by leaving a resident to literal death.
good rich man
But their game gets a little more complicated when a new tenant, Demi, moves in. Demi is not the kind of person to bow to the agendas of the super-rich, and Lyla is the only one who feels that way. With an unforgettable twist, Brazier creates a thrilling story that is not only compelling, but also a commentary on today's society.
Shondaland spoke with Brasier about the inspiration behind the novel, the concept of “The Game,” the deeply evil characters, the anxieties of the super-rich, and more.
Katie Tamora: good rich man Cannot be blamed. The cast of characters you created are Really It's hard to support. Can you talk about the process behind creating these evil spirits, especially Graham and Margo?
Eliza Jane Bra: I think all of my characters, to be honest, I tried to include a little bit of real people in them. [them]and clearly these are [the] extreme version. So I'm going to take something from my own life and turn it up to 11.
Graham and Margo are based on people I have honestly interacted with. I lived below the poverty line in London for about 10 years. [late] My husband was a musician. And sometimes he went to perform for these very wealthy people. London is like a small town. So I feel like I can interact with various fields. They're based briefly on people I've met and interacted with, and they just have a super savage sense of humor, a really cruel and frightening kind of thing.
KT: It's similar to movies like . cruel intentions, good rich man It does a great job of highlighting and satirizing the absurdity of extreme levels of wealth. Do you think you were aiming to shed light on the ridiculousness of it all? If not, what was your aim?
EJB: In fact, I thought it was a complete black comedy. So, for me, there's an element of it that's almost beyond reality. But what I've noticed in people's reactions is that many people actually say it doesn't really matter. do Feel the real thing. They said they had a similar experience. I have had such ridiculous interactions with very wealthy people. I think that's really interesting.
I think a lot of that for me came from a kind of anger that had built up from my previous life, living below the poverty line, and all these traumatic experiences. I think there was a lot of anger and frustration. And it took a long time to be able to turn it into something humorous.
this [culmination of] For me, various events happened about 10 years ago. It was really difficult at first, but as I wrote the novel and went through several drafts, I feel like it became more and more interesting each time I rewrote it. Because I felt like I was in control of my emotions.
KT: As a reader, you are reminded that people like this actually exist. I’m totally tone deaf and just not thinking about it, and it’s just taken to the next level.
EJB: That's kind of what I say in the book. In such radically different situations, it's like people don't really see each other. That's why we always look at rich and famous people and can't believe what they say and ask ourselves, how can they be so out of line? But the truth is, they really are.they don't know anything [how other people live].
Even Graham seems to envy the struggles of people without money, and wishes he had the same experience.
KT: I thought your writing was very smart, from Laila's wealth to Demi's frustrations with the unfairness of money. At one point you wrote: “It is impossible to be a good person in this world. Even trying to do a good deed, such as saving someone, can have dire consequences. Then you are left with two options: evil and mediocrity. ” Can you tell me how you used these different ideas?
EJB: Lila is a terrible character, but by making Graham and Margo terrible to her and making her want love and want what everyone wants, it kind of humanizes those characters. I feel like that's the way to go. That way I'm not just writing about someone who lacks humanity.
KT: In a previous game, Graham prides himself on getting a target with a family addicted to opioids. He seems to be evil to the core, just like his mother. Originally I was going to ask him if he thought he was a sociopath, but instead he asked if he thought this kind of evil was created by money and his upbringing, or if some people are just inherently evil. Do you think so?
EJB: Hmm, I mean, I think it's difficult when you're making something. [a fictional character]. I think it's probably elements of both.
But in my mind, I felt like his mother, Margo, felt like he was the worst part of her, in a way. In a way, I think she's even a little scared of him.nevertheless she It's terrible in a way. This is my imaginary backstory. She loves and adores him, but I think he was born without much of anything.
And it seems like she's trying to address this issue herself. To me, I think part of the reason this game was invented is as a way to prevent him from getting too deviant and doing crazy things.the [there] To entertain him.she always says this [Lyla] You're boring him. You need to entertain him. And I think part of it is that she's afraid of what might happen. What would he do if he wasn't distracted and absorbed in this whole game she's put together?
KT: How did you come up with the concept of “game”? What inspired you? I thought the idea of the super-rich toying with the future rich and ruining their lives was appealing.
EJB: To be honest, I didn't plan this book when I first wrote it.And it felt like this to me [the original manuscript] It wasn't working. I felt that it was rather based on reality and lacked strength. So I was looking for something.
When I wrote this book, I lived in a kind of duplex, like a basement apartment.And above me was the director who directed that movie. Are you ready or not?. So I watched the movie, and the premise of the movie is very simple. Did you know that there is a time clock? She must win this match by the end of the night.
And this is what I thought. that That's what I need. You need something like you know what the goals are, what's at stake, all that kind of stuff. So you took inspiration from that movie. We tried to superimpose game-like ideas onto a larger social context and a kind of realism that we had already established.
KT: So you wrote the book without a game concept at first?
EJB: yes. I rewrote the book and it worked out great. And, again, when you're writing something so personal, it's hard not to take it too seriously.and [you can] Forget that you should write something interesting.previous version [without the game]From my perspective, it was like doing therapy to myself. It wasn't their fault. I don't think the editor hated them either. But for me it wasn't that strong. I felt like I was out of focus.
KT: The main character, who was once homeless, says: “Most people are nice on the streets, I think more so than in the rest of the world. Even people with severe mental health issues who lash out and yell and scream don't want to hurt you. No. I think most of the time they just want to be seen. All people do, but it's harder for some people than others.'' , do you think it's a commentary on how society treats and approaches people living in homelessness?
EJB: Yeah, completely. 100 percent.
I was briefly homeless. Her late husband basically took me in to live with him. Other homeless people also lived there, and had done so on and off for years. That's a lot. All of Demi's backstory is rooted in events that actually happened to me.
That experience left me traumatized and really changed the way I saw the world. People can be nice and generous, like my late husband and many friends who have helped us on and off over the years. But you may also find yourself asking the wrong people for help or seeing people move away from you or avoid you.
When you live in a city like London or New York, people become very closed-minded and just look ahead, and that may be partly due to fear. But yeah, I mean, all of that affected me and led me to write a lot about my own personal grievances. [others’ frustrations]. I mean, I was so lucky that now my life has completely changed – [but] By seeing it [is illuminating].
KT: Another interesting thing about the main cast is that it's hard for most readers to decide who is the most terrifying, since Lyra and Demi sometimes exhibit a redemptive mindset. Do you think they did this on purpose, to promote the idea that bad people do good things, or vice versa?
EJB: What I wanted to talk about in this book was [sometimes] It is impossible to make choices that do not have negative consequences. And really, you're just weighing the results and asking yourself what's the least bad.
I also really wanted to see who actually deserves to be the bad guy. Like Michael. Because of his life and what he went through. It's like he's earned the right to be more of a bad guy, right? Interestingly, there are: [other] In terms of having that kind of experience, people who didn't really earn it may have become that way.
I encourage you to pay attention to these things and ask yourself these questions.
Katie Tamora is a freelance writer who grew up in Manhattan. Find her on Twitter @katietamola.
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