Outside of the professional sphere, I"ve had a handful of great readers. Zoe Trodd helped me enormously. Alexandra Arlango and her mother Elizabeth read numerous incarnations of the novel and at each stage offered detailed and invaluable comments. I cannot thank them enough. As it happens, Alexandra, through Qwerty Filmsworking with Michael Kuhn, Emmeline Yang and Colleen Woodc.o.c.kgave me my first break at writing. And it was while researching a screenplay I was writing for them that I stumbled across the real life case of Andrei Chikatilo and the events around it.
Many people a.s.sisted with the completion of this book but none more so than Ben Stephenson. I"ve never been as happy as I have been during these past few years.
Further reading There would have been no way to write this story without having first read the memoirs, diaries and histories of a number of authors. I"ve enjoyed the research as much as writing and the body of work on the subjects touched upon in this book is of an awesome quality. What follows is a small selection of these works. I should point out that any liberties with the truth or historical inaccuracies in my novel are purely my own doing.
Ja.n.u.sz Bardach"s memoir Man is Wolf to Man Man is Wolf to Man (co-written by Kathleen Gleeson, Scribner 2003) offers a powerful portrait of trying to survive in the Gulags of Stalinist Russia. On that subject both Anne Applebaum"s (co-written by Kathleen Gleeson, Scribner 2003) offers a powerful portrait of trying to survive in the Gulags of Stalinist Russia. On that subject both Anne Applebaum"s Gulag Gulag (Penguin 2004) and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Penguin 2004) and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn The Gulag Archipelago The Gulag Archipelago (Harvil 2003) have been essential reading. (Harvil 2003) have been essential reading.
For general historical background I"ve found Robert Conquest"s The Harvest of Sorrow The Harvest of Sorrow (Pimlico 2002), Simon Sebag Montefiore"s (Pimlico 2002), Simon Sebag Montefiore"s Stalin Stalin (Phoenix 2004) and Shelia Fitzpatrick"s (Phoenix 2004) and Shelia Fitzpatrick"s Everyday Stalinism Everyday Stalinism (Oxford University Press 1999) extremely useful. (Oxford University Press 1999) extremely useful.
With regards to Russian police procedure, Anthony Olcott"s Russian Pulp Russian Pulp (Rowman Littlefield 2001) went into detail not only about the justice system itself but also literary representations of that system. Boris Levytsky"s (Rowman Littlefield 2001) went into detail not only about the justice system itself but also literary representations of that system. Boris Levytsky"s The Uses of Terror The Uses of Terror (Coward, McCann Geoghergan Inc. 1972) was invaluable when it came to understanding, or at least trying to, the machinations of the MGB. Finally, Robert Cullen"s (Coward, McCann Geoghergan Inc. 1972) was invaluable when it came to understanding, or at least trying to, the machinations of the MGB. Finally, Robert Cullen"s The Killer Department The Killer Department (Orion 1993) provided a clear account of the real-life investigation into the crimes of Andrei Chikatilo. (Orion 1993) provided a clear account of the real-life investigation into the crimes of Andrei Chikatilo.
I cannot recommend any of these books highly enough.
Tom Rob SmithQA How do you write? For example, do you have a favourite time of day to write? Or a favourite place?
I start early. I"m a morning person, I like those early hours. Midday is the worst time for me writing wiseI go for a walk, take a long lunch and then start again around two. I rarely work later than seven in the evening. It adds up to a lot of hours but it never feels particularly tough as a regime.
At the moment I work in a study but I"m not sentimental about it, which is fortunate since it"s a rented flat. In fact, I"m about to move, so I"ll be working somewhere new in a month or two.
Which book(s) inspired you to become an author?
I don"t know if there was any one book. I"m pretty sure it was every book I ever loved. And not just books but also television, film, theatre I"ve always liked stories, it"s nice to be able to make it my living.
Which other writers do you most admire and why?
The list is long, I wouldn"t know where to startand I"d get nightmares that I"d forgotten someone. Plus, I don"t know how meaningful a list it would be anyway: you love different authors for different reasons at different times of the day. Coming up with a list would be like scratching names in fresh cement, I"d be fine with it today, embarra.s.sed by it tomorrow.
What influenced the creation of CHILD 44?
The television series 24 24 was an influence. I wanted to write a book that was as exciting as was an influence. I wanted to write a book that was as exciting as 24 24, a page-turner in the way that show is compulsive. I buy the DVD box sets. I"ve watched three or four episodes back to back. I"ve never watched one episode by itself. I have to force myself to stop and put them aside for at least another day just to make it last. Of course, there are plenty of books like that, books you finish in a day, but I remember very distinctly watching series three of 24 24 at the beginning of sitting down to write at the beginning of sitting down to write CHILD 44 CHILD 44.
Without wishing to seem oblique, another big influence was public transport. I used to live in South London and commute to East London: it took an hour with no delays and often it was an hour and a half. There was no way to do that journey without a book, and a certain type of book, a book you could get wrapped up in, a book you could read standing up, a book you"d miss your tube stop for. That was the kind of book I wanted to write. I owe a debt of grat.i.tude to the District line.
Were any of the central characters based on real-life historical figures?
The events surrounding real life serial killer Andrei Chikatilo were the springboard for the novel. But the bungled criminal process, the injustices, the system itselfthese were more important than any real life characters in terms of inspiration. Soviet Russia is itself a character in the booka peculiar blend of horror and absurdity. I"ve tried to be as close as I can to that.
However, I didn"t model the character of my fictional serial killer on the real killer. I took his crimes but not his character. Andrei Chikatilo discovered that other people"s pain gave him intense pleasure. That is a very interior, private motivation: one that is essentially unfathomable, indescribable. It belongs to him and no one else. It makes sense to him and no one else. It doesn"t give a reader, or me for that matter, any way in. Therefore, there"s a risk they"d seem flat, a device, a mere monster, rather than a "real" person. It"s ironic since in some ways making the killer dull and flat might have been a more accurate description of the man. Would it have made good reading? I didn"t think it would so I"ve totally rethought his reasoning and, insane though it still is, my killer offers up a warped logic to his crimes, that allows us to get a little closer to him.
What first attracted you to a narrative set in Stalinist Russia?
The story attracted methe idea of a criminal investigation being hampered by a social theory, the theory that this crime simply could not exist. The story and setting, in that regard, are inextricable. But I didn"t suddenly think Stalinist Russia would be a great place to set a novel and go fishing for a story. Having said that, the more research I did, the more I realised what an amazing stretch of history it was and that definitely powered me forward.
Out of all the research, what was the most illuminating or unforgettable piece of information you discovered?
Some facts do stick in your mind, not always because they"re the most shocking or the most extreme. I remember reading that Stalin ordered a census of his population, I think in 1937. When the results of census came back, stating that the population was much lower than Stalin desired it to be (because he"d murdered so many people) he had the census takers shot. It was jaw dropping: executing people because he was annoyed the population wasn"t higher which was his fault anyway. Stalin then released his own inflated figures, figures he could"ve just made up in the first place.
What works similar to your own would you recommend to the reader who wanted to find out more?
There"s a selected bibliography at the back of the novel. I haven"t come across a bad book on the period, the histories, the memoirs, diariesthey"re all incredible.
What are you working on now?
The follow up to CHILD 44 CHILD 44!
What was your favourite childhood book?
I loved Roald DahlI must have read everything he wrote. And then there was Tolkein, any adventure stories really, other worlds. I also remember being addicted to a kind of fantasy fiction where you"d read a page and then be forced to make a choice: do you want to go down this tunnel, or climb the ladder. You"d be given different page numbers to turn to and different adventures would unfold depending on the choices you made. I had about forty of those books. You were supposed to follow rules: using a dice to determine if you defeated a monster or not. I"d ignore those rules and cheat my way through. I could never imagine killing myself halfway through a book and starting again. I"d be interested to know if anyone ever did. Anyway, those books must seem quaint nowusurped by computer games where you make those kinds of interactive decisions every single second.
44 Stalinist Statistics 1. 1. In 1919 there were 21 registered concentration camps in Russia. In 1919 there were 21 registered concentration camps in Russia.2. In 1920 there were 107. In 1920 there were 107.3. In 1930 there were 179,000 prisoners in the GULAG system. In 1930 there were 179,000 prisoners in the GULAG system.4. In 1953, the year of Stalin"s death, there were 2,468,524. In 1953, the year of Stalin"s death, there were 2,468,524.5. Number of those prisoners who were pregnant6,286. Number of those prisoners who were pregnant6,286.6. Total number of forced labourers in the USSR28.7 million. Total number of forced labourers in the USSR28.7 million.7. On 12th November 1938 number of execution warrants signed by Stalin3,167. On 12th November 1938 number of execution warrants signed by Stalin3,167.8. Number of political executions between 1930 1953786,098. Number of political executions between 1930 1953786,098.9. Number of prisoners carried by the transit GULAG ship Number of prisoners carried by the transit GULAG ship Indigirka Indigirka1500.10. Number of life rafts on the ship Number of life rafts on the ship Indigirka Indigirka0.11. Number of prisoners who died when the ship sunk1000. Number of prisoners who died when the ship sunk1000.12. Number of distress messages sent by the crew0. Number of distress messages sent by the crew0.13. Amount of bread given to a GULAG worker in 1940550 grams per day. Amount of bread given to a GULAG worker in 1940550 grams per day.14. Amount of coal expected to be dug per day to earn that bread ration5.5 tonnes. Amount of coal expected to be dug per day to earn that bread ration5.5 tonnes.15. Amount of bread stolen in the last two quarters of 1946 from 34 camps70,000 kilograms. Amount of bread stolen in the last two quarters of 1946 from 34 camps70,000 kilograms.16. Specified height of a toilet bucketa Specified height of a toilet bucketa parasha parashain a male prison holding cell55 centimetres.17. Specified height of a toilet bucket in a female prison cell30 centimetres. Specified height of a toilet bucket in a female prison cell30 centimetres.18. Number of children in a Stalinist orphanage in 1940212. Number of children in a Stalinist orphanage in 1940212.19. Number of spoons in that same orphanage12. Number of spoons in that same orphanage12.20. Number of plates in that same orphanage20. Number of plates in that same orphanage20.21. Number of homeless children 194345842,144. Number of homeless children 194345842,144.22. Number of those children a.s.signed to labour colonies52,830. Number of those children a.s.signed to labour colonies52,830.23. Number of churches in Moscow before the revolution460. Number of churches in Moscow before the revolution460.24. Number of churches in Moscow by 1st January 1933100. Number of churches in Moscow by 1st January 1933100.25. Total number of writers in the Ukraine in 1935240. Total number of writers in the Ukraine in 1935240.26. Number of writers who "disappeared" from the Ukraine-200. Number of writers who "disappeared" from the Ukraine-200.27. Number of peasants who died during the terror-famine and dekulakization 1930193314.5 million. Number of peasants who died during the terror-famine and dekulakization 1930193314.5 million.28. During the deportation of the kulaks in 1933 total death toll in one district in the Poltava Province7,113. During the deportation of the kulaks in 1933 total death toll in one district in the Poltava Province7,113.29. Of those 7,113 that died, number of children under the age of 183,549. Of those 7,113 that died, number of children under the age of 183,549.30. Number of Soviet children estimated to have died 193234 due to famine and execution3 to 4 million. Number of Soviet children estimated to have died 193234 due to famine and execution3 to 4 million.31. Number of minutes a worker needed to be late in order to suffer criminal proceedings20. Number of minutes a worker needed to be late in order to suffer criminal proceedings20.32. Number of people queuing outside one shop in Leningrad for groceries6000. Number of people queuing outside one shop in Leningrad for groceries6000.33. Average living s.p.a.ce in Moscow in 1940 per capita head4 square metres. Average living s.p.a.ce in Moscow in 1940 per capita head4 square metres.34. In 1938 total distance in kilometres of sewage pipes in Stalingrad0. In 1938 total distance in kilometres of sewage pipes in Stalingrad0.35. Population of Novosibirsk in 1929150,000. Population of Novosibirsk in 1929150,000.36. Number of bathhouses for entire population of Novosibirsk3. Number of bathhouses for entire population of Novosibirsk3.37. In 1937 percentage of all men aged 3039 married91. In 1937 percentage of all men aged 3039 married91.38. In 1937 percentage of all women aged 3039 married82. In 1937 percentage of all women aged 3039 married82.39. Amount paid to mothers with seven or more children2000 rubles a year. Amount paid to mothers with seven or more children2000 rubles a year.40. Price of a pair of shoes12 rubles. Price of a pair of shoes12 rubles.41. In Moscow oblast number of families registered with 8 children2,730. In Moscow oblast number of families registered with 8 children2,730.42. In Moscow oblast number of families registered with 9 or 10 children1,032. In Moscow oblast number of families registered with 9 or 10 children1,032.43. In Shakhovskoi district number of children in one family15. In Shakhovskoi district number of children in one family15.44. Age at which a child could be executed12. Age at which a child could be executed12.