‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’ by Rebecca James

 Received from the Publisher 

From the BLURB:

Cooper Bartholomew's body is found at the foot of a cliff.

Suicide.

That's the official finding, that's what everyone believes. Cooper's girlfriend, Libby, has her doubts. They'd been happy, in love. Why would he take his own life?

As Libby searches for answers, and probes more deeply into what really happened the day Cooper died, she and her friends unravel a web of deception and betrayal. Are those friends - and enemies - what they seem? Who is hiding a dangerous secret? And will the truth set them all free?

‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’ is the new YA novel from Australian author Rebecca James.

I’ve been excited for this novel since 2010. That’s when I read James’s debut ‘Beautiful Malice’ and first saw the title of her work-in-progress, ‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’. No synopsis or release date, let alone information on if the book had even been sold to a publisher … just that title, and I was hooked. Four years later and ‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’ is Rebecca James’s third book – after loving ‘Beautiful Malice’ and making herself an automatic-buy author with ‘Sweet Damage’, her third book lives up to that initial intrigue and is going down as a 2014 favourite.

‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’ is split between THEN and NOW. In the now, Cooper Bartholomew is indeed dead (sorry, the spoiler in the title is true) having committed suicide – his friends Sebastian and Claire are reeling, and his girlfriend Libby is numb. In THEN, we read how Libby and Cooper bumped into one another at a bottle shop – they were part of the same graduating high school class, and even worked on an assignment together once, but Cooper’s ex-girlfriend Claire warned him off striking up a friendship with ‘the backstabber’ Libby. When they meet again there’s tension and hesitation, but an unmistakable ‘something’ has both of them wanting to reconnect …

In the NOW, Libby is becoming less and less convinced of Cooper’s committing suicide. Something is not adding up: they’d made plans to move to Sydney together, and Cooper loved her – they had a future together.

The novel’s timeline flips, as does narrative POV, and we hear from Libby, Cooper, Seb and Claire – we wade through their memories of Cooper and hidden agendas since his passing as well as Cooper’s own accounts leading up to his death and pivotal relationship with Libby. Rebecca James really needs to be commended for the pacing of this plot – especially since there’s a give-away in the title that could have hindered the suspense. It’s teased out beautifully to feel like YA-noir and the short, sharp chapters leading to the denouement are wonderful.

But the real strength of this book lies in the central character of Cooper himself. Maybe it’s because I started reading this when the whole ‘Twin Peaks’ second season talk started, but I couldn’t help but think of Cooper Bartholomew having hints of Laura Palmer to him, and Rebecca James’s latest novel as a head-nod to David Lynch in exposing the seedy underbelly of a perfect life. It takes a special character to be dearly departed for a good portion of a book, and still come across so charismatic and downright loveable, that readers mourn his loss along with the characters:

I dream of Cooper. I dream that he climbs through my window while I’m sleeping and slips into my bed. I wake up and find him next to me – warm and very much alive – and cry with joy. He laughs and tells me that his death was all a stupid joke. I hug him tight and am so overjoyed, so glad to see him, I don’t even care that he played such a cruel trick. 

But a police siren screeches through my open window and I’m pulled from my dream with a vicious jolt. I’m awake, alone in my bed, feeling as though Cooper has been ripped away from me. And the shock of this reality – Cooper is dead and gone and I will never see or speak to or touch him again – is like a kick to the stomach. The pain takes my breath away.

Libby and Cooper’s romance is teased out in parallel to Libby’s investigation into Cooper’s death – almost making the romance as much of a mystery as the mystery itself. And that romance is so gorgeously realised that when the inevitable happens, it does hurt.

‘Cooper Bartholomew is Dead’ is another fabulous novel from one of Australia’s favourite YA authors. It’s a slice of ‘Twin Peaks’ noir for young readers to get wrapped up in – and that it hurts so much is part of the novel’s charm and Rebecca James’s talent.

5 /5

'Sweet Damage' by Rebecca James

Received from the Publisher 

From the BLURB:

'I still dream about Anna London's house. In my dreams it's as if the house itself has sinister intentions. But in real life it wasn't the house that was responsible for what happened. It was the people who did the damage ...'

When Tim Ellison finds a cheap room to rent in the perfect location in Sydney it looks like a huge stroke of luck. In fact the room comes with a condition, and the owner of the house, the mysterious Anna London, is unfriendly and withdrawn. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house at night, Tim wonders if taking the room is a mistake. But then his feelings for Anna start to change, and when her past comes back with a vengeance, Tim is caught right in the middle of it.

A thrilling, rollercoaster of a story - read it with the lights on!

Tim Ellison is stuck, and has been for a long time. He was stuck right after high school, aimless and unmotivated. He’s happily stuck working at his dad’s restaurant in Manly, with no particular ambition to get a real job or go to university. And he’s really stuck in his constant spiral with ex-girlfriend, Lilla – they broke up months ago because he lacked ambition, and now he’s sleeping on her couch in the apartment she shares with new boyfriend, Patrick.

Something has to shift, so when Lilla shows him a room for rent ad in the local paper that sounds too good to be true, he decides to take a leap of faith and check it out. . . 

Fairview is a grand mansion. Beautiful and cavernous, it is in a prime location with beautiful views of Sydney and rent is so cheap, even Tim can afford it on his measly paycheque. The one catch is that Tim will be rooming with the house’s owner, Anna London.

Anna is a young woman, and Tim’s first impressions of her are that she’s timid and seems weak. Her lawyers, brother and sister team Fiona and Marcus, are arranging her new roommate for her and they also help her run Fairview, which she inherited after her parents died a few years ago. Tim still can’t see the catch . . . until it’s explained that Anna is agoraphobic. She has an anxiety disorder that keeps her imprisoned in her childhood home, and she’ll rely on Tim to connect her to the outside world. 

For the first time in a long time Tim feels like things are finally moving along for him and life is good. Even if Anna is a little odd – shut up in the attic, speaking mysteriously of a lost love called ‘Benjamin’. Then there’s Fairview itself. Tim hears things at night, and imagines a dark figure looming in his doorway as he sleeps. . . 

‘Sweet Damage’ is the new young adult thrilled from Australian author, Rebecca James.

I vowed to read anything and everything Rebecca James writes after her 2010 debut blew me away. ‘Beautiful Malice’ was gritty and engrossing, a heart-palpitating story with twisted and brilliant characters – and I couldn’t wait to read whatever James’s devious mind came up with next. Well, ‘Sweet Damage’ certainly delivers on the breathtaking frights that are quickly becoming Jame’s stamp. . . 

The first line of ‘Sweet Damage’ is . . . 

I still dream about Fairview.

. . . And my first reaction was that it had echoes of Daphne du Maurier famous opening line to ‘Rebecca’; 

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

As Anna and Tim’s intersecting story unfolds, it becomes apparent that ‘Sweet Damage’ has a bit of du Maurier to it, a chilling ode to that famous novel about love and obsession, descents into madness and houses that have a hold over their residents. But this is a decidedly fresher take on classic Gothic interpretations of female lunacy, and places wielding extraordinary power over individuals for the memories they hold within.

James’s story is set in the trendy Sydney suburb of Manly; Tim is a surf-bum waiter, idling through life . . . and Anna is a complex heroine battling a crippling mental illness. Through altering narrations we learn the many layers of Anna’s life and ‘insanity’, and as Tim begins to place the pieces of the puzzle in her sad family history, a mystery also unfolds. 

This is a fantastic Gothic-Thriller novel; it’s full of careening twists and turns, but it’s also a character-driven tale in which nobody is as they first appear. Anna starts out as a weak and frightened girl in Tim’s mind, but as her story unfolds she gains depth and remarkable courage; 

As I watch Anna cry, I’m struck by how dignified and beautiful she is. She has endured the worst possible thing a person can go through. And all the time I've been living with her she has dealt with this grief, keeping it to herself, trying to cope alone with something so tragic and huge. Before, I thought she was weak; I ignorantly assumed that a stronger person would have been able to overcome the anxiety that kept her trapped. Now I think she’s courageous. 

I know that ‘Sweet Damage’ is being put forth as a young adult novel – but I actually think this might be migrating closer to that love-hate emerging ‘new adult’ readership. Our characters are a little older, and world-weary – but at the same time, Tim has the appeal of being young and aimless, lacking ambition and determined to stay in his comfort zones – there’s something very young adult relatable to that too. Meanwhile, Anna’s experiences and tragedies run a little deeper, they make her more mature and damaged than even Tim first realises. Basically, I can see ‘Sweet Damage’ appealing to young and old – horror fans, and those who want to get lost in a good, twisting mystery.

5/5 

Interview with Rebecca James, author of 'Sweet Damage'

♦

In 2010 I read a book and was so wowed, I vowed to read absolutely everything else the author wrote. Lo and behold, Rebecca James has released a follow-up to her Beautiful Malice that has proven to be another bowl-me-over read! 

Sweet Damage is heart-in-throat incredible, and I was not only lucky enough to receive a review copy, but have the chance to pick Ms James's brain about her latest triumph... 

♦

Q: Are you a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’ - that is, do you meticulously plot your novel before writing, or do you ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ and let the story evolve naturally?

I’m a bit of a panster. With Beautiful Malice I literally started with the first line ‘I didn’t go to Alice’s funeral,’ and went from there. When I started writing I had no idea what had happened to make Katherine so angry at Alice and no idea what would happen next. Writing it was just as much a process of discovery as I hope reading it is. 

I wrote a synopsis for Sweet Damage – mainly so I had something to show my publishers – but I veered so far off track that the final product barely resembles the original idea. 

Right now, as I get ready to start on a third novel, I’m thinking of some vague set-ups, a few different characters, but I’m struggling to come up with a really firm plot. I think I just need to dive in, start writing, see where the characters and the current of the novel takes me. 

To be honest I do often wish I was more of a plotter. It would be great to have a clear outline of a book before I started,  I’m quite sure the whole process would feel less terrifying and impossible. I’d love to come up with a brilliant and polished novel idea and be certain that everything would turn out as planned ... but somehow I don’t see that happening.  

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Sweet Damage’, from first idea to final manuscript?

It took two years. When I first wrote the synopsis and showed my publishers and they all said ‘great, go for it’ I told them I’d have it ready in two months. Needless to say that plan failed and I spent the next two years writing and writing while all the time feeling quite frantic about it. At least now I know I can’t write a book in two months - and I will never suggest so again!

Q: Where do story ideas generally start for you? Do you first think of the character, theme, ending? Or is it just a free-fall?

I think of the characters and the set-up. As mentioned above, with Beautiful Malice I came up with the first line and just started writing. I knew a girl called Alice had done something bad to my protagonist, Katherine, but I didn’t know what she’d done or why. I didn’t even really know who these characters were. 

With Sweet Damage I came up with the idea of a girl trapped in a big house. There’s nothing physical or concrete keeping her trapped, it’s her own anxiety, her own mind, that stops her from leaving the house. And then I had a well-meaning, unambitious boy called Tim move in. He’s baffled by Anna, can’t understand her, doesn’t even like her at first...

And then I added a few twists, a couple of devastating secrets and a big surprising mystery...

Q:  Your debut novel ‘Beautiful Malice’ came out in 2010 and was a smash-hit. How was it writing this second novel? More pressure, or was writing the second easier than writing the first?

I did feel some pressure, yes. While I was writing Beautiful Malice I was writing for fun. I did hope to be published one day, but it always seemed like a bit of a dream, an unlikely fantasy. There’s a certain freedom in writing when you don’t have a publishing deal. You can write anything you like, in any genre, for any age.

You definitely feel more pressure when you’re writing a second novel. Your publishers and your audience have certain expectations.  While writing Sweet Damage I was always conscious that a certain type of book was expected of me (a YA/crossover psychological thriller to be precise) and that made the writing process a bit trickier. I had to get it right.

Sweet Damage took a long time and I had to do a lot of rewriting and quite a few big structural edits. To be honest I felt quite despairing at times, as though I’d never get it done. I wondered once or twice if Beautiful Malice would end up being my only published novel. In hindsight it doesn’t seem to have been as bad, or to have taken as long, as it felt at the time, but I still hope that my next novel flows a little more easily and quickly. 

Q: The opening line of ‘Sweet Damage’ well and truly sucked me in: “I still dream about Fairview.” The line reminded me of Daphne Du Maurier ‘s ‘Rebecca’ and that famous opening: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” – and the two are definitely of the same Gothic genre. Were you inspired by ‘Rebecca’? 

In a way. I actually reread Rebecca while I was writing this book, as I knew that Du Maurier had rendered Manderley so beautifully that it felt like another character in the novel. I thought it would be worth taking a look to see how she did it. The truth is, though, that I didn’t enjoy Rebecca as much as I remembered loving it the first time around. I found the narrator irritating - she’s just so naive and spineless (--beware spoilers for Rebecca ahead -- ) and I wasn’t convinced by the easy way she accepted the fact that her husband was a murderer. In fact, she seemed quite happy about it. I found this a bit unbelievable and very annoying! 

Q: The house that Tim Ellison rents a room in is called ‘Fairview’, and it’s a rather magnificent, cavernous manor-house situated in a prime Sydney location (complete with views of the Harbour!) And Fairview really does become a character in itself . . . did you do some on-location scouting while writing ‘Sweet Damage’? Did you go hunting for a grand old house to get the details of Fairview just right?

The suburb and street are real, but the house itself, Fairview, is a product of my imagination. I know the suburb very well because I used to live there in my twenties. (Not in a mansion, unfortunately.) My parents still live around that area of Sydney and while I was writing Sweet Damage I drove down Lauderdale Avenue (the street in which the book is set) several times and pointed out potential houses. But none of them were big or old or gloomy enough to quite fit the image of Fairview I had in mind. 

Q: ‘Sweet Damage’ concerns a character called Anna London, who inherited Fairview after a terrible family tragedy that has also turned her agoraphobic. Anna is crippled by her agoraphobia and it’s fascinating to read about a character who has confined herself to a place that also holds sad memories. What sort of research did you go into this anxiety disorder?

I initially became interested in anxiety and agoraphobia as a condition because I’ve had anxiety myself. I started having panic attacks at a particularly stressful time in my life (my husband, Hilary, and I were running our own small business, we had four young sons and Hilary became quite seriously ill). There was a particular day I was so anxious I couldn’t make it to the supermarket to buy dinner. I was lucky – I had a good friend who dragged me to the doctor - and with a combination of medication and guided meditation, I was eventually able to get my panic attacks under control. 

Agoraphobia is a condition which results from really bad anxiety, or panic disorder.  In trying to understand my own anxiety - and avoid becoming agoraphobic myself -  I read a fair bit about it. And while I don’t consider myself an expert (I’m a novelist, not a doctor) what I try to get across in Sweet Damage is how debilitating and overwhelming anxiety can be, and the terrible sense of shame and helplessness you feel when panic starts to have a negative impact on your life. 

I was never as unwell as Anna but my experience with anxiety gave me a glimpse of the frightening possibility, of the potential for your mind to let you down, mess with your thoughts in such a way that normal life becomes impossible.  

Q: As with your debut, ‘Beautiful Malice’, ‘Sweet Damage’ is a psychological-thriller with heavy doses of lovely Gothicism. . . Are you a fan of the thriller genre, and do you read such books? Why do you think you’re drawn to rather dark subject matters in your novels? 

I’m definitely drawn to write about dark subject matter but I’m not entirely sure why. And now that I think about it I wonder why so many of us are drawn to read and consume such stuff in the first place. 

Maybe it’s cathartic? There’s definitely something enjoyable about feeling a range of strong emotions that aren’t caused directly by your own life. It’s somehow fun be moved by a drama that is removed from you, and can’t really ‘touch’ you. I guess it could be argued that fiction that scares or shocks or saddens provides a very safe thrill. 

I don’t really have an answer, I only know that enjoy reading and watching things that shock and surprise me, and keep me on the edge of my seat, or make me cry. And I’m naturally drawn to writing things that I would like to read. 

Q: What are you working on right now, and when can we expect it to hit shelves?

I’ve just started a new book. Everything’s very vague and unformed at the moment though I do have one character I’ve called Ella and another called Maggie. They are in their early twenties and haven’t seen each other for five years (ever since the last day of school when something unspeakably terrible happened). I have no idea what the unspeakably terrible thing was yet, or what’s next for these unfortunate characters, but it will probably be something quite nasty, going by what I’ve written in the past. I’ve literally written a couple of pages and so I have no idea when I’ll finish and even less idea when it will actually hit shelves. Hopefully within a year or two...

Q: Favourite author(s) of all time?

Liane Moriarty, Anne Tyler, Wendy James, Anne Fine, Nicci French, Richard Yates, Charlotte Bronte, Helen Garner, Roxanna Robinson.

Q: Favourite book(s)? 

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (I’ve just read this - so brilliant!), Out of the Silence by Wendy James, Telling Liddy by Anne Fine, Easter Parade by Richard Yates, The Spare Room by Helen Garner, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Siege by Helen Dunmore, Cost by Roxana Robinson, The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler. 

Q: What advice do you have for budding young writers?

Read a lot. Write a lot. Keep trying and don’t despair. 

 Sweet Damage is now available wherever good books are sold, and online!

'Beautiful Malice' by Rebecca JAMES

From the BLURB:

'Truth or dare?' she asks.

I hesitate. I have so many secrets, so many things I don't want to reveal, but this is only a game, only a bit of fun. 'Truth,' I say finally. 'I can imagine one of your dares, and I don't fancy running down Oxford Street naked tonight.'

'Truth,' Alice says slowly, drawing out the vowel sound as if she's savouring the word. 'Are you sure? Are you sure you can be completely honest?'

'I think so. Try me.'

'Okay.' And then she looks at me curiously. 'So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?'

Katherine has moved away from her shattered once-perfect family to start a new life in Sydney. There she keeps her head down until she is befriended by the charismatic Alice, and her life takes her in new directions. But there is a dark side to Alice, and as we learn the truth of Katherine's sister's death and Alice's background their story spirals to an explosive finale.

If you only read one book this year, let it be ‘Beautiful Malice’.

Oh. My. God. I read this in one sitting, cover to cover, because I literally could not tear my eyes away.

The story opens with these ominous words:

I didn’t go to Alice’s funeral.

An older Katherine narrates the novel, recounting the events that changed her life. She is at once in the present day, grown-up and with a child of her own – and with hindsight and insight she tells the story of her life in Melbourne, on the day her sister died.

But the crux of the story is set when Katherine is 17. She is living in the aftermath of her sister’s suspicious death, which led to a media-furore and prompted Katherine to flee Melbourne and seek anonymity and refuge in the Sydney suburbs. It is here, at Drummond High, that Katherine meets and befriends Alice.

Beautiful Alice – with blonde hair, sun-kissed skin and laughing blue eyes. Through Alice, Katherine meets and bonds with Robbie, a handsome young man who is besotted with Alice despite her reluctance to commit.

The three of them form a close friendship and Katherine starts to live her life once more, without the black cloud of despair that’s been hovering since Melbourne and her sister’s death.

But pretty soon the cracks begin to show. Alice is not a well girl. She lives her life in extremes and is constantly bouncing from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. She can be a lovable, easy-going and loyal friend one minute, or a conniving, narcissistic menace the next. At first Alice’s egocentric behaviour seems to be that of any spoilt teenager – perhaps maximized because of Alice’s model-like beauty and the fact that she is all but emancipated from her parents. But as the story progresses Katherine, and readers, see that Alice’s fissure runs much deeper.

Alice is my friend, after all, and it’s not fair of Phillipa to judge her so harshly, so quickly.

“She’s not that bad,” I say. “She’s got some fantastic qualities. She can be incredibly generous and charming when she wants to. She can be a lot of fun.”

“So could Adolf Hitler,” she says.

Rebecca James has written such a chillingly captivating villain in Alice that even though she makes your skin crawl, you can’t help but be utterly captivated by her. Much in the same way Katherine and Robbie can be enchanted by Alice’s ‘joie de vivre’ one moment, and disgusted by her narcissism the next.

While reading this I was literally gasping out loud, shaking my head and muttering to myself – I couldn’t believe some of Alice’s actions, or how far she would go… It got to the point where, even though she sickened me, I was bizarrely fascinated with Alice. She is one of the best female villains I have ever read. Think Annie Wilkes in ‘Misery’, Joan Crawford in ‘Mommie Dearest’ or Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’ and you’ll start to get an idea of what kind of she-villain Alice is.

‘Beautiful Malice’ is a thriller/suspense YA novel, but the book is accessible to an older readership, particularly because of the more sinister underpinnings of the story. This is not a comfortable YA book – but it does make for addictive reading. The plot is dark and twisted, and Alice even more so. But Rebecca James is a damn good storyteller – and once she starts weaving this tangled web you won’t be able to stop until you reach the final, chilling end.

I can’t praise this book enough. ‘Beautiful Malice’ is yet another shining example of the Young Adult genre’s growing popularity and widening readership. The genre is no longer just for the audience of its namesake – adults are reacquainting themselves with a genre that is growing more sophisticated and garnering more publicity than books in its adult counter-part. ‘Beautiful Malice’ is one book that will appeal to young adults and adults alike for its dark themes and gripping plot.

You absolutely, positively, without a doubt MUST read this book. Seriously!

5/5

_______________________________________________________

Rebecca James

‘Beautiful Malice’ was released in Australia a few weeks ago, to much critical and commercial acclaim. And as much press as the book is receiving, its author has a Cinderella story that’s equally heart-warming.

Rebecca James shopped her ‘Beautiful Malice’ manuscript around to umpteenth Australian literary agents and publishing houses – and was rejected by all of them. On a whim, she sent ‘Beautiful Malice’ off to UK agents Conville & Walsh who contracted her immediately and shopped the manuscript around at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair… where Rebecca James went on to sell the book for a $1 million advance!

Now, this underdog story is at once awe-inspiring and cringe-worthy. What on earth is wrong with Aussie agents and publishers that they let this talented author slip through their fingers?

Her website lists a new title called ‘Cooper Bartholomew is dead’ on her website – but there’s no synopsis or release date. Regardless, you better believe I’m automatically-buying whatever Rebecca James writes. From one book I’ve already decided she’s my new favourite author!