Psychological thrillers are often page-turners. They emphasise the state of mind of their main characters from their inner desires to the demons that haunt them.
Authors set up intricate fictional environments which collude with the characters’ psychological instabilities, therefore challenging their morality and often creating mentally stimulating and unpredictable situations. This permits the reader to engage with the novel, including the need to participate in guesswork, which they usually get wrong.
Many discussions have come about, attempting to determine the difference between a thriller, mystery and a horror. It is important to note that psychological thrillers more often than not include all the above-mentioned genres, or are closely related.
Feeding off murder and death, these themes are frequently incorporated into the basis of thrillers, although the main aim is to manipulate and coax the reader into an emotional connection with the characters until the end of the novel. However, is it possible that the genre is dying? Based on the bestselling list of 2016, the answer is ‘perhaps’.
Are Thrillers Out?
Veteran writers such as John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Stephen King and Dean Koontz are known to dominate the art of psychological thrillers and are still making millions while at it, but the fact is their novels are not as prominent as they once were – aside from loyal readers who may still be enticed. Sadly, the number of readers worldwide are dwindling, and more are finding an appeal to romance and dramas from the likes of Jodi Picoult to Nicholas Sparks.
Thrillers, on the other hand, are dominating the box office, most of which are derived from novels, such as Paula Hawkin’s ‘Girl on the Train’ and previously Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’. It may still be too early to determine the status of the psychological thriller, but in hopes that it does not die out, emerging authors such as Flynn, SJ Watson, ASA Harrison and Caroline Hepnes attest that thrillers are not planning to come to an end soon.
Notice the rise of women? Previously monopolised by men in the past, claiming their titles as the ‘best psychological thriller authors in the world’, more women are breaking into the male-dominated industry by penning their stories into female-orientated voices that incorporate issues women face. From family and sex to the complex mindset of a woman, their fears and desires are set in a manner that fuels the ability to set a shocking reaction to the reader such as sympathy to emotions as strong as hatred.
One example is Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’ which near-mastered the art of manipulation thanks to the typical stereotype which society places upon people.
Not only that, studies show that more women have become attached to psychological thrillers, and American author Julia Crouch is calling it the Domestic Noir. In an interview with The Telegraph, she said, this genre “primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants”.
Writing The
Perfect Thriller
Namibia has had its fair share of psychological thrillers in the past, such as ‘Dante International’ which broke through boundaries, and other books set in Namibia written by non-Namibians, including ‘The Devil’s Breath’ by David Gillman. The market in Namibia is full of untapped potential in all genres – and ‘Dante International’ author Sharon Kasanda-Emvula offered advice for those who are eager to pen their next thriller.
“Make sure to create a hero who is struggling with personal issues inside as the story progresses. The hero should ultimately try to do the right thing, but will always be caught up fighting his or her personal demons as well,” Kasanda-Emvula said. “This adds complexity to the story and the reader will not really know whether the hero will be the good guy or the bad guy. Add plot twists to your story, write a list of five ways a scene could go and then do the opposite. Keeping the reader guessing at what will happen next will keep a reader flipping pages,” she said.
Top Thrillers Out Now
Keen to be psychologically stimulated? Here are some recommendations you might like:
‘I Let You Go’ by Clare Mackintosh is the story of Jenna Gray who escapes to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast after a terrible experience, but her fears, grief and memories of one strange night in November continues to haunt her.
Elizabeth Haynes’ ‘Into The Darkest Corner’ is based on Catherine Bailey who meets a charismatic man named Lee Brightman, the epitome of ‘too good to be true’. His hidden traits that lean towards darkness and violence force Catherine to run for her life, and never look back. If you have watched David Rosenthal’s ‘The Perfect Man’ starring Sanaa Lathan and Michael Ealy, the story might sound familiar.
