8.The MacAllisters run a summer camp for children and yet seem somewhat unattached to and uninterested in their own kids (except for Pete’s spying adventures, of course). What would it be like to be raised by people whose primary job is to look after other children? Could that have contributed to the MacAllister children’s obvious issues?
9.Attending summer camp is often seen as a rite of passage, giving children independence and new skills at key stages. Does this novel make you reconsider sending your children to summer camp? Did you attend camp? Was it a formative experience for you?
INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE McKENZIE
This is your ninth novel—congratulations! How do you keep coming up with new ideas?
Thank you! I honestly don’t know sometimes. The best way I can describe it is that I have lots of proto-ideas or scenarios floating around in my head, things like: I’d like to set a book at a camp; I’d like to write a reunion book; I’d like to write an Agatha Christie–type closed-circle mystery; I’d like to write about a large family. Then one day those all fused together and the idea for I’ll Never Tell emerged in my mind, beginning, middle, and end.
Why did you choose a summer camp as the setting for this story?
I spent nine summers at the same camp (and eleven in total at sleep-away camp), so it’s kind of ingrained in my DNA. I’ve always thought it was a unique experience—people have friendships there that don’t occur in the “real” world; people are often different at camp from how they are in real life, and that can create intense bonds and emotions. So I’ve been looking to set a book in a camp for a while and finally had the right story to do it justice (hopefully).
Were the camps you attended similar to Camp Macaw?
I attended several different camps, but Camp Macaw certainly physically resembles the one I spent the most time in, a camp located in the Eastern Townships in Quebec. Camps tend to have a lot of common features though, like a craft shop, a lodge, various beaches, etc.
I’ll Never Tell explores the various secrets that the MacAllister family keeps from one another. Secrets and lies have been prominent themes in many of your novels (The Good Liar, Hidden, Fractured). Why do you keep revisiting them?
I think everyone has secrets, and I like exploring how keeping them can affect lives under pressure. I also think that all books are about secrets in one way or another.
There are many different characters and perspectives in this novel. How did you keep the various voices distinct, and is it more challenging to write from seven points of view?
It was definitely a challenge—one of the ones I set for myself in the book. But the characters were all clear and distinct to me, and I hope that came through.
Who was the hardest character for you to write?
Probably Mary. She’s holding on to important secrets, and structuring her thoughts was sometimes complicated.
Did you have a favorite character?
The twins were fun to write. I like the idea of complete opposites who are also identical.
Was there any special relevance to including the mention of the book The Secret Garden in this story?
It’s a favorite book of mine from childhood, and it’s also a book about secrets and families.
What can you tell us about your next novel?
I’m working on it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2016 Jason Trott
CATHERINE McKENZIE’s The Good Liar was a national bestseller. Her previous novels have been translated into multiple languages. A graduate of McGill University, Catherine practices law in Montreal, Quebec, where she was born and raised. Visit her at www.catherinemckenzie.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram @CEMcKenzie1.
Simon & Schuster Canada
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Catherine McKenzie
Map illustration by Sara Heppner-Waldston.
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This Simon & Schuster Canada edition June 2019
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Manufactured in the United States of America
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
McKenzie, Catherine, author
I’ll never tell / Catherine McKenzie.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-5011-7863-4 (softcover).—ISBN 978-1-5011-7864-1 (ebook)
I. Title. II. Title: I will never tell.
PS8625.K4395I45 2019 C813’.6 C2018-905207-4
C2018-905208-2
ISBN 978-1-5011-7863-4
ISBN (ebook) 978-1-5011-7864-1
I'll Never Tell Page 30
