LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE MARCH-SEPTEMBER ISSUE | Page 53

made it difficult to devote much time to writing, yet it was, he says, “a
compulsion, which I sublimated over years and years of writing
probably the most erudite internal memos inside the civil service” (the
novel’s first line features the words “kismet”, “serendipity” and
“happenstance”). The book aims to straddle readability and literary
ambitions; tellingly, Kate Atkinson and Will Self are both influences.
The snake on the cover is a good indication of the plot: it twists and
turns surreptitiously, making it tricky to discuss details (“spoilers are the
one thing that have vexed my publishers”). The story was inspired by a
true event: an older female relative of Searle’s was duped into a
relationship by an octogenarian conman, “by all accounts a real
charmer”. But when the family paid a visit, “within 10 seconds I had
him fully figured as not exactly the ticket… it became pretty evident he
just told lies by instinct”. Eventually it turned out this was the latest in a
string of scams, and after a tense negotiation Searle convinced him to
leave.
Based on this encounter Searle invented Roy Courtnay, a charming but
self-serving, duplicitous character. He devised a backstory for him and
two weeks later the plot was fully formed in his head. Was it difficult to
inhabit the mind of such a devious, misogynist character? “Perhaps I
should plead the fifth here, because it was horrible, but at the same time
it wasn’t too difficult – which sounds terrible, but over the years I’ve
met my fair share of people like that, so that made it easier to inhabit his
mind.”
Considering his former job, and the layers of lies that make up the novel,
is Searle himself a good liar? “I don’t lie willy-nilly, but there are times
in life when it’s morally sound to do so, in order not to upset or offend
someone. In those situations I can lie convincingly and I’m sure you can
as well. Most people do lie, even in the most banal of circumstances.”
After some thought, he adds: “All novelists aspire to tell lies in the form
of fiction. So in that sense I do hope I’m a good liar, if in no other.”
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