The Child Inside

Suzanne Bugler

The Child Inside

Q&A with Suzanne Bugler, author of The Child Inside

 1) How would you sum up The Child Inside in one line?
It is a story about loss and aspiration, and the danger of feeling lonely within your own skin.

2) What inspired you to write this story?
I dreamt the whole thing one night when I was on a skiing holiday. It was one of those strange dreams with snippets of reality woven in – very disturbing.

3) What is your writing routine and how long did it take to write The Child Inside?
I don’t have a routine as such. Some days I write loads and others nothing at all. If I plan to stay in all day and write it just doesn’t happen; I have to get out and use up all my energy first. The Child Inside took just under a year to write. Towards the end it was incredibly intense and I had very little time for anything else.

4) What do you like best about being a writer?
I just love giving my imagination free reign. I get totally immersed in the characters and the story. I love the way fiction and reality can merge. Who can tell what is real and what isn’t?

5) What do you find hardest about being a writer?
Looming deadlines are always a worry. But really, the hardest thing is when I’ve just finished a book. I suddenly feel rather lost. 
6) What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Don’t give up. Keep polishing your skills, and be confident of your own voice.

7) What do you enjoy reading? And which books have inspired you to write?
I really enjoy books that reflect life, and aren’t afraid to be honest about human nature. Deborah Moggach’s Porky was a huge inspiration, as was Edmund White’s A Boy’s Own Story. I love Revolutionary Road by Richard Yeats and Zoe Heller’s Notes on a Scandal…the list goes on and on.

8) How did you come up with the title?
Titles are really hard. Without wishing to give away the plot, there are many layers to the title of The Child Inside.

9) What do you hope readers will take away from your novels?
I hope they will remember them for a long time, and that perhaps they might stop and look at life from a different point of view.

10) What can readers look forward to next from you?
I’ve just finished writing a very dark tale about a family who move from London to the country in search of a better life…
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What's It All About?

When you lose your child, can you ever find your life again?

The gripping new psychological drama from the author of Richard and Judy Book Club selection This Perfect World

As a teenager, Rachel lived through the death of a friend, and discovered that even the most enchanted of lives can be easily shattered.

When tragedy strikes her own life as an adult, and she loses her unborn child, Rachel ought to turn to her husband for support. But in trying to protect one another, she and Andrew end up further apart than ever and Rachel finds herself resentful and lonely.

Haunted by the past, she contacts the brother of her old friend and the two of them are drawn into a dangerous and destructive affair. But betrayal comes at a high price, and having lost one child, how can she bear to face losing another?

Praise for This Perfect World:

‘A dark but deftly written novel about modern family life’ Marie Claire

‘This novel had me so engrossed I read it in three days’ Essentials

‘Dark and unsettling, but compulsive’ Choice

Read an extract from each of Suzanne Bugler's novels

  • The Safest Place

    The Safest Place

    An exclusive extract from Suzanne Bugler's new novel

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  • The Child Inside

    The Child Inside

    When you lose your child, can you ever find your life again?

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  • This Perfect World

    This Perfect World

    Beautiful people do the ugliest things

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Reading Group Guide for The Child Inside

Questions for readers

1) Discuss the title of the book and its significance to the story.

2) Discuss the prologue of the book, and how effective this is in opening the novel.

3) Talk about the author's use of language and writing style.


4) Which event/moment in the novel acts as a catalyst to the rest of the story?

5) What themes does the author explore? Include in your discussion: the difficulties of parenting, the importance of belonging, the implications of having an affair and the extent to which events in a person’s life can haunt their present.

6) Describe the main characters—their personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. Why do they behave in the way they do? Are their actions justified?

7) How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? Which events trigger such changes?

8) Discuss the relationship between Rachel and her son Jono. How does their relationship compare with Rachel’s own childhood and her relationship with her parents and sister?

9) Discuss the distant relationship Rachel has with her husband Andrew. What are the main factors putting a strain on their marriage?

10) Talk about the secondary characters. Did any stand out for you?

11) Are there situations and/or characters you can identify with, and if so how?

12) Which passage from the book stood out to you the most?

13) If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?

14) Discuss the ending of the book.

15) Have you read the author’s previous novel This Perfect World? If so how do the themes of The Child Inside compare?
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Books By This Author

  • The Safest Place
  • This Perfect World
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Book Details

Imprint: Pan
ISBN: 9780330510912
Number of pages: 352
Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm
Format: Paperback
Publication Date: 05/01/2012

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