If your dog was wrongly accused, how far would you go to protect him? Andrea McHugh talks to author Sophie Hannah to find out…
Crime fiction author Sophie Hannah has been very busy in recent months promoting her new book No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done, a murder mystery that was inspired by the love she has for her Welsh Terrier, Chunk.
I was lucky enough to attend one of Sophie’s talks at a literary festival and was fascinated to hear her describe the book, which features a Welsh Terrier called Champ, who is wrongly accused of biting a neighbour; an accusation that the police take very seriously. It's a nightmare scenario for any dog lover, and when Sophie started exploring the concept of neighbourly feuds, and how the prospect of losing the family dog might impact his desperate owners, it’s easy to see how the idea for the book took hold.
Sophie is well known for her twisty plotlines, and this book certainly doesn’t disappoint, with lots of fast-moving action, murder, mystery, and truly fascinating insights about the strange quirks of human behaviour. There are numerous twists, clues, and laugh out loud satirical moments that will keep you turning the pages deep into the night, and if you are anything like me, the conclusion you come to at the end will have you scratching your head and probably re-reading several chapters to double check your thought processes!
I caught up with Sophie to discover more about the book, her love of Welsh Terriers, her dog Chunk, and how her experiences as a dog owner helped to shape the actions of the book’s heroine, Sally Lambert.
Credit: Sophie Hannah
Q: What made you choose a Welsh Terrier as a family dog?
A “We got our first Welshie in 2014, and I’d never had a dog before. Neither my husband or I came from families with dogs, and we didn’t know what breed to get. We did a lot of research and looked at pictures and the first breed we all liked was the Airedale, as they are so characterful and beautiful and impressive. However, when we visited Discover Dogs at Crufts in 2013, we suddenly realised how huge they can be, and my husband said I don’t think I want my first dog to be quite so enormous! The breeder suggested we look at Welsh Terriers who are very similar, but smaller.
“As soon as we saw the Welshies we knew this was the breed for us, and as my husband is part Welsh, we immediately felt some affinity towards them. Our first Welsh Terrier was called Brewster, and we all loved him very much although sadly he died when he was just nine years old after eating a peach stone, which punctured his intestine.
“We were all really upset and wanted to wait a year or so before getting another, but Chunk arrived much sooner than planned. This was because we were looking at a house that was for sale in Wales and I suddenly thought that I just couldn’t be in Wales without seeing any Welsh Terriers.
“We went to visit some puppies, with no intention of actually buying one, but, of course, as soon as we saw them, we were hooked! The puppies were five weeks old, and the breeder described the one we liked as a ‘right chunk.’ On the way home we started talking about him and we just knew that we had to have the chunk in our lives! It felt like destiny really, as the Kennel Club documents showed that the puppies had been born on my birthday. In addition, we had two holidays planned, which would take us exactly to the time when Chunk (whose middle name is Plunkett!) would be ready to pick up.
“Interestingly, when I sent off to the Kennel Club to get a certificate showing five generations of pedigree, I discovered that Chunk’s grandad was Brewster’s brother. I was over the moon that they were related.”
Q: Is Chunk very similar to Brewster?
A “No, not at all. Brewster was quite anxious and would get up to follow us whenever we left a room. Chunk is much more confident and will happily wander off to find his own spot in the house. Chunk doesn’t have a favourite person in the family. He goes to everyone, sometimes sleeping on my bed and sometimes sleeping on my daughter’s bed. He’s such a lovely dog.
“Brewster, on the other hand, and much the same as the Lambert’s first dog (Furbert Herbert) – who also died after eating a peach stone – had a few psychological issues. He was fine for the first six months of his life but then he got attacked by another dog, who really hurt him and after that if we made a sudden movement he would turn round and nip us, but he was just trying to protect himself and I forgave him every time.
“Chunk is very different as he is incredibly soft and cuddly and cute, although not quite as sharp witted as Brewster. For example, we have a house in the Cotswolds which is on the edge of a nature reserve, where dogs are not allowed off lead. When we had Brewster, we had to make sure the doors were kept closed all the time or he would be off on the rampage, but with Chunk you can just pull the blinds down and he doesn’t think the doors are open. He’s a bit more gullible!”
Q: What does Chunk do to make you laugh?
A “It has to be the way he responds to food. We noticed that when the breeder put food out the other puppies would eat enthusiastically, but Chunk did an actual dance of joy, hopping up and down on his hind legs. He still gets very excited and does this today.
“Chunk is much less coordinated than Brewster was. Brewster could easily jump up onto things, but Chunk somehow manages to arrange his limbs in the wrong way so he’s often not very successful and ends up in a heap on the floor!”
Q: When did you decide to include a Welsh Terrier in your book?
A “I think if you are as obsessed with dogs as me, they just pop up in your imagination. Before I got a dog, it never occurred to me to put a Welsh Terrier in my books, but the kernel of the idea for this novel centres around a family who decide to abandon their jobs and go on the run, because their dog has been wrongly accused of biting a neighbour. The story is about what happens to the family during their time on the run, and the question is, just how far are they prepared to go to protect their dog? One thing I would like to reveal is that nothing bad happens to Champ in the book – I can’t bear books or films where the dog dies!”
Credit: Sophie Hannah
Q: Do you think you would respond in a similar way to Sally?
A “I would say that Sally Lambert, who is the mother in the book, and absolutely adores Champ, is in many ways, actually me! She sings made up songs to Champ, talks to him like he’s a person, believes he can understand her, and would do anything for him. Would I go on the run for Chunk? Probably!
“My maternal instincts are very strong. For example, my two children, who are now 20 and 22, went to a horrible secondary school. My son was a totally ordinary, very sporty, and cheeky boy and although he was not the soul of perfect student behaviour, he was a good person. Nevertheless, it felt like the school was constantly persecuting him in horrible ways so at least once a week I would have to go in and complain about how they were treating him. I was being a very protective mum, sticking up for my child against untrue allegations and I think that concept stayed in my mind and gave me the idea for the book.”
Q: In interviews you’ve spoken about experiencing your dog being in danger. Can you explain more?
A “Yes, I actually know what it’s like to have someone try to kill your dog! For many years, we knew someone who stayed with us from time to time, but as soon as we got Brewster strange things started happening that put Brewster in danger. For example, we lived near a main road at the time and the front door kept being left wide open. Brewster went out through the door and nearly got killed on the road.
“Nothing weird ever happened when this person wasn’t in the house, and although we were suspicious, they blamed my husband, and we couldn’t prove anything. However, one day I actually saw them open the door and deliberately leave it open knowing that Brewster would go out onto the road. The same person only met Chunk once, but on that occasion my daughter noticed him licking something from the person’s fingers under the table and a couple of hours later Chunk became really ill and had to go to the emergency vet. Now, I never let that person near Chunk, and everything has been fine. I wrote a short story about this whole drama for Country Life magazine, called The Generalists and the Twelfth of Never!”
Q: What does the future hold for Chunk and your family?
A “As well as writing novels, I am the founder and coach at Dream Author Coaching, which is a coaching programme for writers. My coaching company is just about to buy a lovely big house in Wales for the specific purpose of running retreats, and I am looking forward to spending time there. It has a big, enclosed courtyard and garden so Chunk will be able to enjoy safely exploring and being off lead and having fun entertaining everyone. He’s going to absolutely love it!”
To find out more about Sophie and her work, visit sophiehannah.com