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Nicole Ransome: Hi, I'm Audible editor Nicole, and I'm excited to welcome the award-winning, international bestselling author Jo Nesbo, author of the Harry Hole detective series and now his new horror listen, The Night House. Welcome Jo.
Jo Nesbo: Thank you so much.
NR: So, The Night House is a switch from your usual crime thrillers and mysteries. Have you always held an interest for writing horror?
JN: I guess I have. As a storyteller, I probably started off being a horror writer, or horror narrator in a way. I was a young kid, and when we gathered for summer holidays in the attic at our summer place, the other kids would ask me to tell the ghost stories. I was really proud, because I was the youngest kid. So, I figured I was a great storyteller. It was only years later that they told me they wanted me to tell the ghost stories because they could hear the fear in my voice when I told the stories. So, I guess that already back then, I used my own fear as a fuel for my stories, and, yeah, the first ones were definitely horror stories.
NR: Oh, wow. Where did you draw inspiration specifically from for this story?
JN: I always find it hard to tell exactly where I get my inspiration. Probably it's some of what's going on in my life, what I read, music I listen to, movies, what friends are up to—stuff like that. What I can tell you is that I usually come up with my most bizarre ideas at 5:00 o'clock in the morning when I wake up in bed. You're in that state—half asleep, half awake—and your critical guard is down. So, you will follow any crazy idea and see what it ends up.
"That is the greatest joy you have as a writer—just trying to make you feel the way I felt, whether it's a love story or murder or a horror scene."
So, what happened with The Night House was probably I was, you know, half asleep in my bed and coming up with this idea of two kids doing a prank call, like we did when I was young. And then, one guy being eaten by the telephone while doing this prank call—first his ear and then his hand, and then his shoulder, and then he would be gone. Then I could sort of see in there the title of this novel or movie being “The Meat Eating Telephone." That was just the first visual idea for The Night House.
NR: Oh, wow. That actually leads into my next question. This story features some violent scenes, especially at the very beginning with Tom, which really set the tone, and conjured up some really good scary imagery as the story developed. What was it like writing those scenes?
JN: The scary part is coming up with the idea—when I visualize the idea, that is when I probably use my own fear. When I sit down with my laptop and actually [start] creating those scenes, that doesn't scare me. Then, it’s more a technical thing, and then it's the joy of storytelling, the sort of, "I'm going to try to transform the fear I felt when coming up with this idea to your head."
That is the greatest joy you have as a writer—just trying to make you feel the way I felt, whether it's a love story or murder or a horror scene.
NR: Mm-hmm. How did this process differ from your usual writing process for writing crime thrillers and mysteries?
JN: It doesn't really differ that much, I think—even when writing children’s stories—it's the same job. It’s going with the story, letting the story be the boss and letting it take you wherever it takes you. I mean, It’s not like I'm not that captain onboard the ship, but there is a certain logic to it—the story that is built in the tradition of that kind of story of the genre and of our imagination; it kind of is a structure that is just there. So, it’s more or less the same process, I'd say.
NR: Okay. You know, speaking of children … (laughs) Richard, the main character, I found him very complex. He's a bit unreliable, but he's also, unfortunately, the troublemaker. And then, I really wanted to have a lot of sympathy for him, because of him being recently orphaned, and he was only 14—he's young. Why did you decide to write the story from his point of view?
JN: Nowadays, stories are being told from the perspective of the person being bullied. I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of the bully—which [Richard] is, definitely, a bully. It’s interesting to have a character that the readers, probably during the first 10 pages, they will hate him, and then try to convince themselves that there's a reason why he's a bully. And there’s certain charm to his bully-ness, I guess. (laughs) Hopefully.
And so when you are sort of forced into sympathizing with somebody you really don't like, it's like … picking up a band that nobody else likes to be your favorite band. You feel even closer to that band; you feel that you need to defend this band against the majority who doesn't get it in a way. And Richard, in this story, he's the kind of friend that you have to defend him when the other friends are criticizing him, "No, he's my friend, you know, I like him, and there's a reason why he is the way he is." So, he's that kind of person, I guess.
NR: What were the challenges of writing a character with an unreliable perspective, like Richard?
JN: No challenges really. It's just different. Like I said, it's probably because I myself always tended to end up with friends that nobody else liked—actually, friends that most of the others, they hate this person. I was probably not the unpopular bully myself, but these guys were. I don't know why I ended up with those guys, but I always found them interesting. They were like this mystery, this puzzle that I had to solve, "Why do they act like that? Why don't they just behave?" It’s easier to be acceptable as a person, to follow the rules. So, yeah, I guess I was visiting my old childhood in a way.
NR: I was going to ask if there were any moments that you found yourself connecting to Richard as a character and his point of view, but it sounds like you do?
JN: I do. In this story, I was more like Karen, the female protagonist of this story. I'm probably her, and then Richard—he’s my bully friend.
NR: I related to Karen as well. I was actually going to say next, "I really enjoyed Karen Taylor—I really related to her as a character," and especially how she was the one to kind of keep him grounded in the research—she really wanted to keep searching for answers, you know, even when things didn't go so great for him. Were there any characters that you related to outside of Karen, and why did you relate to Karen?
JN: I think I related mostly to those two characters, Richard and Karen—they are the core of the story. I always tend to relate to the outsiders, but here, Karen, she's an outsider; it's her own choice. She probably likes to be liked by the others but still, she's a character that prefers to be outside looking in, in a way, and being alternative. You know, that is kind of, in a slightly snobbish way, that is probably the way I was (laughs) when I was a kid—maybe I still am, I don't know. But Richard, he is more the real thing—he is the real outsider. And yeah, those are my two characters.
NR: Were there any other characters that you enjoyed writing?
JN: I enjoyed most of the characters. I enjoyed writing Agent Dale, who is like a cartoonish kind of character. I always imagined Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks—he was the character that I visualized for Agent Dale.
NR: I always liked how—he's just like with none of Richard's antics (laughs). He is really just hard on Richard. Anytime Richard is trying to give his best foot forward, he's like, "No, I don't believe you kid." (laughs) I loved it.
So, The Night House is performed by Michael Crouch, a well-regarded audiobook narrator. What made you decide to cast him as your narrator?
JN: I didn't cast him. I never cast any of my audiobook readers—they are proposed to me. I just listen to like five sentences, and I say, "Okay." To be honest, I trust my audiobook editors that they will make a good choice, and it seems that in this case, they have made an excellent choice.
NR: Yes, his narration is great—I really did enjoy it. He sounds so youthful. He's really good, and he does really good at [performing] the other characters, especially the librarian.
JN: I see. Okay, I have to hear that. I just heard a small section of it, but the part I heard was great. I'll have to check it out, yeah.
NR: Yeah. Give it a listen. It's really, really good.
JN: I will.
NR: One thing that I actually wanted to ask is, without giving any spoilers away, were you always aware of how you were going to end the story?
JN: Yes. The way I construct my stories is I spend a lot of time writing the plot and making sure that I plant the information that you need to be, at the same time, surprised when you get this illusion but also that you not go like, "What?" But you go like, "Of course," because then it all comes together.
I just like the feeling of when I write chapter one, I can tell my readers, you know, "Come, sit closer, because I got this story to tell you, and it's not like I'm making it up as we go, but it's all there. I'm the captain onboard this ship; I know exactly where we're going. I'm going to take you on a journey. Just relax and trust me."
NR: Being an International bestselling author whose works have been translated into many languages, including English, where you have amassed a large fan base within the US, do you find reception to your stories are different across different countries?
JN: What's interesting is that when you communicate locally, because that is what I did when started writing—my target audience was actually two friends of mine, with whom I share tastes in popular culture, like music and movies and literature, and I just wanted to impress those two guys. Then I realized, "Okay, so, this is going to be a novel. I'm going to communicate with at least an audience in Oslo, and maybe in in Norway," And then, years later, I've come to realize that the more locally you communicate, the better it's going to translate globally, because if you write about, in this case, a small town, every country has small towns, you know? So, I guess, there are certain general human conditions that readers can relate to. And hopefully, this is the case with The Night House also.
NR: Definitely. (laughs) So, outside of The Night House, you've amassed such a huge following for your Harry Hole series, both book and film. What has been your favorite thing about writing the series?
JN: I guess that when I started writing the Harry Hole series, I had no idea it was going to be a series—actually, I had no idea that my first story about Harry was going to get published. For me, it was just a test piece that I wanted to send to a publishing house and, hopefully, get a positive reaction so I could go on to write a real novel. But then, they came back to me and said, "We want to publish this."
"I've come to realize that the more locally you communicate, the better it's going to translate globally ... There are certain general human conditions that readers can relate to."
And I was kind of shocked. My first automatic reaction was, "Can I have it back? (laughs) You know, rewrite it?" But it was published, and it fared well—didn’t sell that much, but it was well received by the critics, and it got a couple of prestigious awards. And when I was about to write my second novel, I wasn't sure it was going to feature Harry Hole.
But then, I realized that I had sort of fallen in love with the genre—first of all, because it has this whodunit murder mystery. It has this almost interactive process with the reader, that you are licensed to manipulate the reader and that they will read every sentence to look for clues. And so, I realized it's going to be another crime story, and, yes, I really liked this Harry guy. He’s a very intense friend—he’s the kind of friend that after you have spent a weekend with him, you don't call him back on Monday.
NR: (laughs)
JN: He's too much, but I really like that Harry is that way. And what I really enjoy is that, yeah, you've got this license to lie and manipulate, as long as you are fair with the reader, and you give them all the information they need to actually solve the case—if they don't only watch your right hand, but they make sure that they watch your left hand also whilst you do the trick.
NR: Okay. And so with that, what's next for you?
JN: Right now, I'm actually working on a film script for The Night House. I was contacted by a producer who really just loved the novel, and let's see. I'm working on a script for that now. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, it'll end up on the screen. We'll see.
NR: Wow! Well, congratulations. You had a movie released last year, correct?
JN: Yeah, yeah. That's correct.
NR: What is your favorite part of the movie creation process, the movie script writing process?
JN: Writing for the movies is much more technical in a way than writing a novel. In a novel, you can go left field, or right field, and you have much more freedom in a way. Writing for the movies is kind of unlearning your tricks as novelist, and sort of obeying the rule that movies are pictures.
It's the pictures that are going to tell the story—it’s not your ability to have the characters talk and walk. Using inner monologue, it's pictures. And that is, to some extent, especially in the beginning, kind of frustrating, because it's like, “Doesn’t this story need my abilities as a novelist?”
NR: Mm-hmm.
JN: Yeah, to a certain extent, but really it's about leaving it up to the director and the actors.
NR: Are you a fan of Audible?
JN: I'm a fan of Audible. I'm actually a paying customer.
NR: Oh, so do you have any favorite listens you would recommend?
JN: I would recommend Tom Jones’s autobiography, Over the Top and Back. It's just great—it’s great fun and a great read.
NR: Jo, thank you for taking the time. Listeners, you can get The Night House on Audible now. Thank you, Jo.
JN: Thank you.
