Interview with Tamar Cohen - The Fallout

Today I'm happy to be bringing back Tamar Cohen, she was here last year to talk about The War of the Wives and today she's back sharing some things about her new 5-31-16 release, The Fallout. Once you read the premise and enjoy our chat I know that like me this book will be on your buy list!
Enjoy

ISBN-13: 9780778317562
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 05/31/2016
Length: 352pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound

Overview

When close friends split, take care whose side you're on…

Dan and Sasha are Josh and Hannah's closest friends, and lately they all seem to spend more time with each other than they do apart. But cozy weekends together quickly dissolve into a bitter game of tug-of-war when Dan utters three treacherous little words: I'm leaving her.

Dan fully expects Josh to defend his choices—and that includes welcoming the sexy young model he's suddenly dating. Meanwhile, Dan's soon-to-be-ex-wife Sasha is devastated—dangerously so—by his betrayal, and she leans heavily on Hannah for support. Though Josh and Hannah try desperately to avoid the fallout of their friends' battle, they're quickly engulfed by the poisonous fog of attack lawyers, ugly accusations and untimely revelations. Soon they're suffocating in Dan and Sasha's secrets…and their own.

Darkly witty and utterly chilling, The Fallout exposes the volatile nature of divorce—and the new lovers, obsessions and broken relationships that are left in its wake.

Hi Tamar welcome back to The Reading Frenzy.
Tell my readers a little about The Fallout.

And thanks for having me back! The Fallout is about a couple, Josh and Hannah, who very quickly become best friends with another couple, Dan and Sasha, in the accelerated way you do when you live close-by and have young children of the same age. The foursome do everything together – until Dan announces he’s leaving Sasha for a younger woman. At first Josh and Hannah vow to remain neutral, but as disturbing incidents start happening, they find themselves unwillingly sucked into Sasha and Dan’s increasingly bitter war of attrition, with catastrophic consequences.

What an interesting storyline for a novel and one that I’m sure happens in everyday life all the time. Was there a certain personal catalyst for the novel, something you read about or something totally different?

When my children were much younger, we were part of a close-knit friendship group of local couples all with kids the same age. When one couple suddenly split up very acrimoniously, it was like a grenade going off as the rest of us scrabbled to redefine our relationships to the separating couple. Of course, we all maintained we would never take sides. But as our friends’ break-up descended into a full-scale war, not only did it prove virtually impossible to remain neutral, it also fostered a sense of dissatisfaction among the rest of us.

Before, we’d all been in the same boat – constrained by the demands of small children and the relentlessness of the domestic routine they brought with them, now one couple amongst us were spending half their time leading an unfettered single life. They went on dates with people who didn’t care whether or not they’d put out the trash, and had lie-ins and spontaneous cinema trips. If they also spent lonely Sundays howling into silent rooms or burying their noses in little pyjama tops that still, vaguely, smelled of warm child, well, either they glossed over it, or we did. It didn’t fit into the narrative we’d all chosen.

We started viewing our own relationships through the prism of their fractured one. How had the bickering and narkiness we all accepted as part of life become suddenly intolerable to these two? What was it that allowed them to say ‘enough’ and walk away? And over and over again: if it can happen to them, could it happen to us?

Fifteen years later, I still remember the turbulence of that period and how quickly what had been a happy, harmonious group became fragmented as accusations flew about who’d been siding with whom, and who’d been giving away confidences. And beneath it all, that secret dread. Who would be next?

Tamar this was published previously in the UK titled The Broken. Why the change of title for the US release?

My original title was always The Fallout as it perfectly sums up what the book is about – the way relationships and friendships spectacularly unravel in the aftershock of a bitter break-up. A couple of days before the cover was due to be printed in the UK, a fellow UK author tweeted a photograph of her new book, due out the same month as mine and called – you’ve guessed it – Fallout. We could have gone ahead anyway – plenty of books share a title. But I thought it would be too confusing for readers, so I and my agent and editor spent a frenzied day brainstorming titles and came up with The Broken, which is also very appropriate to the book as it could refer to broken marriages, or broken people, or even broken promises. However when my editor at MIRA asked if I had any objections to going back to the original title, I was delighted as everything about The Fallout feels right.

One of the UK editorial reviews calls The Broken “ A gripping cocktail of betrayal and revenge"That right there is a powerful pull for me to read the book.
Do you have a favorite review?

I’ve been lucky enough to have lots of really great reviews for The Broken. My favourite in terms of ego-boosting came from the Daily Mail which called it ‘a sustained work of near-genius’, but I also love this recent US review in Publishers Weekly:

“Cohen captures divorce with pin-point accuracy in this unsettling read, where ugliness reigns, amicability flies out the window, and accusations, broken promises, financial shenanigans, and hatred dominate… Cohen’s marital drama morphs into a psychological thriller, and a last-minute twist set into motion much earlier in the narrative is brilliant.” 

I love the cover Tamar and I personally think it really fits the blurb. Did you have any decision in the choice?

I also adore the cover. It’s very simple, but so effective. This wasn’t the first cover I was shown. Originally there was a much more narrative image on the front showing a middle class dinner party setting with a glass of red wine knocked across the white tablecloth like blood. It fit the story of the book perfectly and I was a little disappointed when the powers that be at MIRA decided it wasn’t strong enough, but as soon as I saw the new cover I was totally won over. It carries the same message but with a gazillion times more impact. That’s probably why I’m best off sticking to words and leaving the pictures to the experts!

Tamar you live in the UK. Where is the book set?

The book is set in North London, which is where I live. Most of my novels are set in London, not just because I’m lazy and want to keep research to a minimum (although I am and I do) but also because I think an urban setting adds something to a book, particularly if the themes of the book deal with alienation and fragmentation as this one does. Sometimes, when a book is set somewhere particularly vivid or unusual, the setting itself becomes a focal point of the story, whereas with the books I write, which tend to be about people and the interactions between them, I find an urban setting helps keep the focus firmly on the characters.

In our interview about your last release I asked you about not having a website and you blamed it on laziness on your part. I noticed you still don’t have one, same reason?

Ah, well, that’s not entirely true (about the website, not the laziness). I do have a website now but it’s in the writing name I use in the UK -  www.tammycohen.co.uk.  Though I started off writing as Tamar in the UK, I switched to Tammy when I started writing psychological crime, though I have kept to Tamar in the US. Sorry for the confusion!

Tamar thanks for answering my questions, good luck on the new book! Will you be coming across the pond for any author events for The Fallout?

I don’t currently have any plans to come over to the US, but am always looking for an excuse. So if The Fallout suddenly rockets to the top of the bestseller lists, you might be seeing quite a lot of me!

@MsTamarCohen

https://www.facebook.com/Tamar-Cohen-258157084299835

www.tammycohen.co.uk

Praise for The Fallout (The Broken):

“A sustained work of near genius” The Daily Mail

“A chillingly real psychological drama that had me in a total reading frenzy. I absolutely loved it.” (Lisa Jewell)

“Darkly compelling …. a pacy story that kept me turning the pages right until the final, shocking twist.” (Paula Daly)

“A brilliant and skilfully plotted depiction of the unexpected breakdown of a friendship between two couples, with one of the most chilling twists I’ve read in a long time. I couldn’t put it down.” (Louise Millar, author of THE PLAYDATE)

“The tension grew with every page turn, until it was almost unbearable, yet I couldn’t stop reading! I literally gasped out loud, so shocked by the very unexpected ending. This brilliant book will be on my mind for a long time.” (Samantha Hayes, author of UNTIL YOU’RE MINE)

“Compulsive reading … the tension racks up and the book switches from domestic drama into full-blown, chilling thriller” (Essentials, Book of the Month)

“Everyone’s talking about this … A gripping cocktail of betrayal and revenge” (Prima Magazine)

“Dramatic, sad and tense, it’s essential you get your hands on this thriller. (Five stars)” (Closer)

Connect with Tamar - Website - Facebook - Twitter

Meet Tamar:
Tamar Cohen is the author of five novels: The Mistress's Revenge, The War of the Wives, Someone Else's Wedding, The Broken (published asThe Fallout in NA) andDying for Christmas. Her books have been translated into several different languages. She also writes for newspapers and magazines in the UK and lives in London with her partner, three children and one badly behaved dog.

Today's Gonereading item is:
What a nice way to have a proper tea
book shaped cups and saucers
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