Class Riots and Bookshops
My interview with Azam Gill on the origins of Sunset and Jericho
My interview with Azam Gill for ‘The Big Thrill’ was a good one. We talked about my early days, class issues in Vancouver, writing process, managing suspects, and favourite bookshops.
My early years:
I was born in Vancouver, and still live here with my partner Carly and my cat. I’ve worked in warehouses, liquor stores, music stores, diners, respectable and non-respectable college English departments, and now write from home and do some teaching and editing on the side.
My family moved a lot, including five homes on the same street. I know the city pretty well, how it’s changed, how it tries to present itself.
My formative years saw Expo ’86, the pre-handover exodus from Honk Kong, the rise of Pacific Northwest grunge and punk rock, TV shows like The X-Files and Highlander being shot in our backyard…There was a zoo where you could see orcas and polar bears every weekend, and in twenty minutes you could be out of the city into wilderness. The city had a working class vibe, and reflected the influence of hippies and draft dodgers, cross-cultural collisions…
Lest I wax too nostalgic, it was also a time of incredible racialized violence, violence against women, violence against Indigenous people, an area where numerous serial killers took victims with impunity. Where old school policing methods weren’t working, and there was heavy resistance to change. Civic fights over drug use and harm reduction, a shift in how mental health issues were dealt with which left a lot of vulnerable people on the street…All of which I learned about much later. The histories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples were white-washed out. It was like the city sprung fully formed and harmonious. A Potemkin village—in some ways a Potemkin country.
The Wakeland novels are steeped in those contradictions, in an evolving sense of history. My hope is by going into the specifics, it captures a sense of the city, but also appeals to people living in any place where housing and drugs and violence are critical issues—pretty much everywhere.
What led you to becoming a writer?
In the middle of grad school I was struck by the epiphany that if I didn’t write a novel now—write and finish and revise and send it out—I would probably never do it. Even if the book stunk, it had to be attempted.
Grad school isn’t known for its abundance of spare time, and writing a novel probably hurt my academic prospects. That book didn’t sell, but it led to writing a short story that did, and that was my first publication.
Do you write to an outline or just record a story as it comes to you?
In between—I have notes which help structure the story, but I deviate from them. And it all gets changed in revision.
How do you choose your suspects — or do they choose you?
I try to strike a balance between “surprising” and “inevitable.” The killer should be someone whose actions make sense, but which is concealed at the start of the story.
Variety is important. If your field of suspects are six white male stockbrokers all motivated by jealousy, it’s a less appealing story than characters drawn from a wider swath of life. But I think that applies to stories in general.
Agatha Christie and Anthony Horowitz are masters of coming up with rosters of suspects, all of which have specific motives and secrets. It’s a rare talent.
What about suspect-management? How do you know when you have enough? Or too many?
The story tells you how many suspects. The deeper you go into a smaller group, the more rounded each will feel. As the story progresses, there’s usually two or three likely suspects.
With Sunset and Jericho, I kind of turned this on its head. The group of kidnappers are all ‘guilty’ to one degree or another, but their identities are unknown. Anyone could be a member, motivated by the class antagonisms of the city. And how do you suss out a killer when you feel that same motivation yourself?
Does the story emerge from the characters or do the characters emerge from the story?
The story defines the characters. What happens to them offers them opportunity to expose who they are—the best and worst parts of themselves.
In the previous Wakeland novel, Hell and Gone, Dave witnesses a robbery turned shooting spree, which haunts him to the point he has to find the shooters no matter the cost. He encounters resistance from the police, and also finds out that his partner Jeff Chen got the funds to start their business from one of the suspects. Wakeland comes through, but just barely, and with serious consequences to those relationships.
Sunset and Jericho starts with Wakeland alone, with his fiancée having moved to Montreal for her career, and the Wakeland & Chen office stricken with the flu. His relationships to others have never been more strained or more important. And he’s never been more desperately alone.
What’s the most important component in crafting a crime thriller and how do you deal with it?
Voice. Rhythm, word choice, inflection, they all create the experience of the story.
There are other thrillers where the plot matters most, but the books that matter to me—that I would reread—have a strong perspective on the world. John D MacDonald and Josephine Tey come to mind.
She’s not a thriller writer, but Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy has one of the most effortlessly note-perfect narrative voices. The story just rolls over you, and you find yourself rooting for a guy who executes people for the state.
How realistic is the scenario of Vancouver facing class riots?
What I see in the city is widespread compassion fatigue—there’s an enormous tent city full of homeless people now, and overdose deaths from fentanyl are incredibly frequent.
If you’re young and broke, most of your friends have moved away. Rent is sky high, the cost of living is insane, and government seems to be doubling down on what isn’t working. But if you’re older and a homeowner, you’re also upset because the city is dirtier and less safe, and you’re being blamed for it. No one is happy. It’s a powder-keg.
Which bookshop would you most like to see SUNSET AND JERICHO in?
I love independent bookstores, and Vancouver has a lot of great ones. Pulp Fiction is my favorite—great staff and great stock. But I also really like Iron Dog, Paper Hound, Dead Write, Browns, Massy, Book Warehouse, Hager, Upstart and Crow, 32…In Portland it’s Powell’s of course, and in Seattle I love Elliott Bay and Third Place. Too many to name!
Grab your copy of Sunset and Jericho now from Bookshop or IndieBound .
Azam Gill is a novelist, analyst and retired Lecturer from Toulouse University, France. He has authored eight books, including three thrillers — Blood Money, Flight to Pakistan and Blasphemy. He also writes for The Express Tribune, a New York Times affiliate and blogs on his website. He served in the French Foreign Legion, French Navy and the Punjab Regiment.
The first part of the interview can be read on The Big Thrill, here.
It would be great to see you!
Great interview, Sam! Really looking forward to reading Sunset and Jericho.