My Husband's Wife(134)
During my time ‘Inside’, I discovered a world which I could not have imagined without actually being there. A world in which no one was quite who they seemed. A world which I grew to adjust to. Even get addicted to and – dare I say it – enjoy. But all the time, there was a hidden undercurrent of fear and unknown.
In prison, I learned that there were countless contradictions. There was laughter. Yet there were also tears. There was kindness. And there was anger. I made some great friends there with staff but a handful were, understandably, suspicious of a ‘do-good’ writer. One day, I was suspected of smuggling in crisps to ‘bribe’ the prisoners. I was subsequently searched and found to possess one packet of cheese and onion – for personal use. I complained and no one ever questioned my lunch box again!
I also found that trust has to be earned even though this might involve taking risks. For instance, there were no prison officers present when I ran workshops or even one-to-ones. One day, I found myself without a room. The men suggested I ran the class upstairs, near their bedrooms. This wasn’t usually allowed but on that day, the staff gave me permission to do so ‘if I wanted’. Consequently I was in a tricky position. If something happened to me, the newspapers would have a field day about a writer who put herself in an awkward situation. But if I refused, my men would think I didn’t trust them. I went upstairs, my heart in my mouth … and everything was fine. Indeed, on the whole, the men treated me with great courtesy and found huge satisfaction in writing life stories, novels, short stories and poetry. All this, I was told, can increase self-esteem which, in turn, reduces the risk of re-offending.
Yet appearances can be deceptive. Some of my students were ‘shipped out’ overnight (moved to another prison) if they did something wrong such as possessing drugs or mobile phones. Men could hurt each other (one inmate murdered another when I was there). And I also heard the odd rumour of past relationships between employees and prisoners.
When I first started, I thought I’d want to know what crimes my men had committed. Then I found out that, in accordance with prison lore, it’s not ‘done’ to ask. Yet sometimes my students wanted to tell me. One confessed he was a rapist. Another a murderer. How I wish they’d stayed silent. Far better to see them simply as men who wanted to write. After all, words are a great leveller.
All this – and more – inspired me to write My Husband’s Wife.
I hope you have enjoyed reading it.
Reading Group Questions
What does the prologue bring to your reading experience? Did you go back and reinterpret it once you reached the end of the novel?
What effect does having Lily’s chapters written in the first person and Carla’s in the third person have on the way you perceive them as characters?
How much did you identify with Lily at the beginning of the novel? And did your feelings towards her change by the end?
Do you think it is important to tell the truth in a relationship, or are some small white lies permissible?
Despite being in prison for his crimes, Joe never seems to experience guilt. What do you think a prison’s function is: rehabilitation or punishment?
The author plays a lot with the idea of ‘innocence’ versus ‘knowing’ in her young protagonist, Carla. How much do you think a child is responsible for his/her actions?
Lily and Carla both have early experiences – Lily with Daniel and Carla with her mother – that change their personalities dramatically. How far do you think we are formed by our experiences?
In the first half of the novel, the author brings to life Carla’s childhood, which in turn creates a context for the crime she will commit in the future. Why do you think the author decided to construct the novel in this way?
In the first half of the novel, Lily’s work often causes a barrier between her and Ed, as well as the secrets she keeps from him. Do you think the breakdown of their marriage is her fault?
Money plays an important role in this novel – or rather the lack of it. Do you think if Carla’s family had been rich that her story would have had such a calamitous ending?
Carla has a difficult experience giving birth and in early motherhood. Do you think someone who commits a crime whilst under mental strain is fully responsible for their actions?
The author spent three years working in a prison. Do you think it’s important for an author to have had experience in the area he/she is writing in?
There are a couple of characters who are on the autism spectrum, most notably Tom. What did you think of his portrayal, and of Lily and Ed’s reactions to his condition?
The next thriller by Jane Corry
BLOOD SISTERS
Three girls set off to school one bright May morning.
Only two make it there alive.
Fifteen years later, Kitty is living in a young adult care home. She can’t speak, and she can’t remember anything of her childhood. But when she gets pregnant, brief flashes start to come back. She’s certain there’s a reason she’s in here. And that the young girl she keeps remembering has got something to do with it.
Her half-sister, Alison, has taken a job as artist-in-residence of a high-security prison in an attempt to atone for her past. But when a new student joins her class, she realizes she’s walked right into a trap.