Fiona Sussman – Kiwi Domestic Thriller

The Joys of Binge Reading

This week on The Joys of Binge Reading. Internationally published Kiwi author, Fiona Sussman. And The Doctor's Wife, a psychological thriller of a close friendship shattered by illness and unexpected death. Nothing in Stan Andino's unremarkable life could prepare him for the day he discovered his wife in the living room naked except for a black apron, bleaching out of stain in the carpet that only she can see. Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Fiona talks about writing a story where a group of close friends discover the unexpected about themselves and one another after one of them is diagnosed with severe brain cancer. For Fiona, who was a doctor before becoming a full-time author, it's her first foray into bringing her experience as a medical practitioner to her fiction. This week's Giveaway - win a paperback And as our Giveaway this week, we've got a paperback copy of The Doctor's Wife, which is a finalist in New Zealand's Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards to be decided later this month. Enter the draw to win a copy of The Doctor's Wife here https://the-joys-of-binge-reading.ck.page/de8c1c9777 ENTER DRAW TO WIN A COPY OF THE DOCTOR'S WIFE Links to books mentioned in the episode Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Awards Ngaio Marsh; https://www.ngaiomarsh.org/ngaio-marsh Agatha Christie: https://www.agathachristie.com/ Dorothy Sayers: https://www.sayers.org.uk/ Marjorie Allingham: https://www.margeryallinghamcrime.com/biography/ Nadine Gordimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer Athol Fugard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard Alan Paton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Paton Geraldine Brooks: https://geraldinebrooks.com/ Kate Greenville: https://kategrenville.com.au/ Elizabeth Strout: https://www.elizabethstrout.com/ Helen Garner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner Graeme Macrae Burnet, This Bloody Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Macrae_Burnet Malla Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malla_Nunn Fiona Kidman, This Mortal Boy, https://fionakidman.com/ And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for friends to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Introducing Kiwi author Fiona Sussman You'll find Fiona at: Website: www.fionasussman.co.nz (Fiona has suspended her social media for the time being to focus on her writing) Fiona Sussman - The Doctor's Wife - shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Fiona. Hello there, Fiona, and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us. Fiona Sussman: Hi, Jenny. It's a real treat to be on the Joys of Binge Reading. Thank you so much for inviting me. Jenny Wheeler: Now, it is an international show, but you're just across a few streets from me. it's wonderful to be able to talk to a local resident today for a change. We're talking about The Doctor's Wife, which is your fourth novel. Often crime novels – and this is categorized as a crime novel, although it's really, as you've said, a domestic thriller - it doesn't start with a death or a murder or a crime exactly. It starts with simmering tension between normal middle class couple and then quickly followed by a husband coming home and finding his wife doing something very unusual. She is naked except for a black apron. She's madly scrubbing at the carpet at an invisible stain that nobody but her can see. And this is a very dramatic way to introduce the fact that this woman is suffering from a serious illness. Tell us about the opening. A tense dinner quickly escalates Fiona Sussman: Yes, Jenny. I guess I was very mindful of the fact that this was a domestic thriller I was writing, so I wanted to escalate the tension fairly early on.