The Dark Room

We enjoy reading your comments and questions about Minette's books and we think other fans will, as well! If you have one you'd like to share about this book, please send it to:

comments@minettewalters.co.uk

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Q. Dear Minette: I adore your book The Dark Room - it is filled with page after page of suspense and I have read it about 20 times already! I've now chosen it for my next literary school paper and was wondering if you could give me some details about the book. I would be most interested to hear about the psychological views and ideas (that inspired you).
--Sondianne

A. Dear Sondianne:

When I conceived the idea for The Dark Room, I was interested in what happens to a person when they lose their memory of a terrible event. It seemed to me that flashbacks, taken out of context and not understood because the event itself had been forgotten, would be deeply terrifying. Especially so, if the sufferer is afraid to talk about it because of other incidents in her past.

I believe that one of the reasons Jane/Jinx comes across so powerfully to you, and many other readers, is because she chooses to fight her fears alone, despite Dr Protheroe's attempts to help her. That takes a special kind of courage when you don't even know what it is you're afraid of!

Best wishes -- Minette

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Jochen, in Germany

I am an 18-year-old pupil from Klüsserath, near Trier (Germany). For my English-advanced course, I'm reading your novel The Dark Room. I want to say that it's a really great book! And my mother has read nearly all of your books!

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Carey, in the US

Have just found your web site and hope you don't mind that I write to thank you for the stimulation that your books provide.

Over the last few years I haven't had the time to read much but then someone lent me a copy of The Dark Room and I've become hooked and now make time to read!! An interest that I had let slip but have now re-found!!

I've read all of your books to date and enjoyed all of them - altho' I must confess to being slightly peeved when reading those that I had previously seen televised and the plot suddenly re-emerged in my mind before you had revealed it!!

So, now I make sure that I read the book before seeing the adaptation!!
Very much looking forward to getting Disordered Minds and being intrigued and thrilled and consumed by the need to know "whodunwhat" all over again!