Ruth Ware, the best-selling author renowned for her gripping psychological thrillers and mysteries, continues to captivate readers with her latest novel One Perfect Couple. Known for her ability to create edge-of-your-seat suspense and her masterful storytelling, Ware’s novels have earned her a dedicated following. Now, in an exciting new development for fans, Ware’s entire collection, including her newest release One Perfect Couple, can be found on Spotify, offering readers and listeners alike an immersive audio experience. We got the chance to talk with Ruth about her latest novel, her partnership with Spotify, and what comes next.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Lyla’s life takes an unexpected turn when her stalled post-doctoral career and rocky relationship lead her to join her boyfriend Nico on a new reality TV show called One Perfect Couple. After passing the auditions, they are whisked away to Ever After Island to compete against other couples for a cash prize, but soon after arriving things start to spiral out of control. Stranded by a dangerous storm, with no communication to the outside world, and supplies rapidly running out, Lyla and the other contestants must band together for survival as the game show becomes a fight for their lives.
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About Spotify Audiobooks:
Spotify recently launched Audiobooks in Premium, meaning Spotify Premium users across the US, U.K., Australia and now Ireland, Canada and New Zealand can experience a new way to listen to audiobooks on Spotify with access to 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening time from a catalog of 250,000+ titles. Since the launch of Audiobooks in Premium in Australia, the U.K., and the US late last year, Spotify has already paid out tens of millions to audiobook publishers, who in turn pay authors in their repertoires, with more than 150,000 titles listened to since its launch.
What was the inspiration for your latest book, One Perfect Couple?
A conversation with another author – we were talking about the fact that it’s a miracle more reality TV shows don’t end in murder, and my friend said “sounds like a Ruth Ware book!” From there the idea was born – though it morphed into something that’s only partly about the constructed unreality of reality TV, and in a way more about the nature of romantic relationships and the toxicity that can hide behind picture perfect facades.
You have written so many unforgettable thrillers at this point, how do you feel your writing has changed over the years?
I’m not sure – in some ways I feel like exactly the same writer who sat down to write In a Dark, Dark Wood. My obsessions with certain themes and my enjoyment of a twisting plot with more questions than answers really hasn’t changed. But I think I’ve become a bit more trusting of myself and my readers. I feel like people trust me to get to the point now, and know that however idyllic the set-up, murder is coming!
Has the rise of audiobook listening impacted your approach to writing? Are you hearing anything from your readers about how your stories captivate them on audio?
I wouldn’t say it’s changed how I write, but I definitely hear a lot from readers about how much they enjoy my audiobooks, and the performance of my long-time narrator Imogen Church. And I do bear the audio in mind when I edit now; I sometimes think about how I want a certain line to be delivered to preserve a reveal, and I add little notes for Imogen in the margin.
It’s been said that this novel is a nod to one of Agatha Christie’s classics, tell us a little about that and how it was to write a novel with that intention.
It’s obviously really hard to write a novel about a group of strangers being picked off one by one on a deserted island without thinking of Christie’s masterpiece And Then There Were None, but I have to say, I don’t think it’s necessarily the closest comp for this book. There are definitely Christie nods in there, and of course her book was in the back of my mind when writing, but if I had to make a direct comparison I would say it’s perhaps more like Lord of the Flies with influencers instead of kids!
What are some of your favorite recent reads? Have you listened to any audiobooks lately that you enjoyed?
I’ve been listening to The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson on audio. He reads his own audiobooks and he has such an interesting, idiosyncratic delivery. I think it really adds to the sense of his personality coming through. I’m not reading it for research particularly. It’s just because I like Ronson’s writing, but it’s surprisingly interesting from a crime writing point of view!
How do you see the crime and thriller genre evolving in the coming years?
Crime is already an incredibly wide-ranging genre that goes from cozies right through to serial killer novels, but I think some of the most exciting thrillers are coming from the more experimental edges of the genre – speculative fiction, for example. I would also love to see more historical crime breaking through; the recent death of Caleb Carr reminded me how much I adored his writing. The Alienist and its sequel The Angel of Darkness are true classics. Perhaps the new Shardlake TV series will remind people what a rich corner of the genre it can be.
Can you give us any hints about what you’re working on next?
Usually I’d be happy to, but this time round it’s a secret. So sorry, no! Watch this space 🙂
We just heard that Keira Knightley will be starring in The Woman in Cabin 10 (congrats!), can you share any details about your involvement or the adaptation project in general?
I KNOW, right? I nearly fell over when I heard the news! I’m not super involved in the project other than cheering from the sidelines, but I’m hoping I will be allowed to swan around the yacht when filming starts. Maybe I can get a cameo as a deck hand?
Where can fans and audiobook listeners find your latest release?
One Perfect Couple is available now to US listeners on Spotify and wherever audiobooks are sold. UK fans can listen to One Perfect Couple on July 18th, 2024.
Plus check out the This is Ruth Ware audiobook playlist to discover my latest novels on audio!
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