During the process of writing The Other Canal, the characters took on a life of their own and on many occasions Nigel would tell me how he was feeling and what was happening. He is a nice guy who becomes caught up in a drama that escalates until he is at breaking point.
All the characters are profoundly changed by the events that unfold. Laura, whose "holiday of a lifetime" turns out to be the catalyst for a series of catastrophic happenings, relies totally on Nigel, her son, to solve things. She is a pensioner who is trying to make the best of life after divorce and for a long time is unaware of the gravity of what is happening.
Fliss, Nigel's wife, tries valiantly to hold everything together as life as she knew it changes forever. She eventually realises that she is being kept in the dark about certain things but trusts Nigel to get them through. Once again the onus is on Nigel, who at one point, is driven to breaking point.
Ellie, Laura's daughter, is already emotionally fragile even before she is shockingly involved in the drama that is spiralling out of control. Later it becomes clear just why she is so nervous and highly strung. The family try to protect her from the naivety that escalated the dangerous disclosures that follow.
Jeff, Nigel's solicitor, is the rock that Nigel counts on throughout the whole ordeal. Even though he is aware that things are being hidden from him, he trusts Nigel's judgement and becomes a stoic friend.
Just how the discoveries that ensue affect each member of the family and their subsequent life changes adds a psychological dimension to this thriller.
Barbara Butcher
