The Spanish author is at Noir to present his novel “Todo vuelve.” Luca Crovi moderates the conversation
“When I work, I like to listen to music, especially film scores by Hans Zimmer. Not songs, however. If I’m writing, I don’t want to hear words. They get inside your head and you can’t get rid of them.” With this unequivocal reply to a question about music from Luca Crovi, Juan Gómez-Jurado launched into the presentation of his latest novel, Todo vuelve, the second installment in a trilogy that started with Todo arde.
The Spanish writer, a household name by now, is the author of bestsellers and popular TV series based on his books. As it happens, he was interviewed by Crovi once before, eighteen years ago, about his book God’s Spy, before he caught the world’s eye. That was a time when Gómez-Jurado perhaps gave priority to the setting of a novel and the scenarios of his stories. Today, by contrast, he seems to be focusing more on his characters.
“My life changed overnight the minute I didn’t have to do a honest day’s work anymore and could devote myself exclusively to fiction,” he admitted. “I am very grateful to my readers and viewers, who make it possible for me to continue to tell my stories.”
“With the passing of time,” the author continued, “thrillers have become an expedient that lets me enjoy myself with my characters. And one of the things I really like is overturning the conventions of the genre. What I care about is the characters’ stories. I’m not hellbent on reaching a big climax. If it happens, good; if not, just as well. Today’s readers have changed since the 1990s: they’re no longer the ones who used to read English thrillers. So, go ahead and label me anyway you like – writer of thrillers, mystery novels, and whatever else; what matters the most to me is that the reader sees the evolution of my characters.”
