Book Interview: Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Did the inspiration from this story come from a particular news story you've worked on or did you completely imagine it?

There were two inspirations for this story. The very personal one had to do with my emotions of getting past one very intimate relationship and embarking on another one (incidentally, I'm mildly of the belief that all novels are ultimately written about love -- or its loss, or pursuit -- no matter what the author claims). The inspiration for the conspiracy in Hooked came from years of covering the technology industry for the New York Times. It (the conspiracy) very much has a grounding in reality.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

How closely based on you is the character of Nat Idle?

Somewhat. I'm a journalist; he's a journalist. He went to medical school; my wife is a doctor. I'm mildly attractive; he's actually handsome. We both live in San Francisco. We are both searchers. And so on. In places, he's an exaggerated version of me. In other places, we diverge completely.

The places where Nat and I overlap the most are in terms of emotion. I wrote emotions into him that I have felt, or feel. For that matter, the emotions of all the characters are ones I've felt, or empathized or sympathized with in someone else.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

How possible would it be for a large computer company to place subliminal advertising in our computer programs? Would the effects be as disastrous as you describe?

I think very possible for there to be subliminal advertising. Remember, after all, that movie theaters for years played with the idea of putting subliminal images on the screen. And computers are much more personal devices, meaning that the images could be that much more tailored to our tastes and thus that much more effective.

Could the effects be disastrous? I doubt they'd hit the levels I describe, though I must say that I believe we are greatly impacted by advertising (BUY HOOKED, BUY HOOKED, BUY HOOKED, BUY HOOKED…)

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

You draw a link between ADD and computer addiction. It's an interesting theory that our addiction to technology is similar to attention disorder in that we are seeking excitement, or drama in both circumstances. What does this mean for people who suffer from ADD? Does technology heighten their own symptoms? What about the people who don't suffer from the disorder? Could we actually be creating a world full of ADD adults since the use of technology begins at such a young age now? Is this a possible reason ADD is so over-diagnosed these days?

Hmm. I'm going to be careful on this one since I don't feel qualified to speak to actual attention deficit disorder. But I will say that I believe wholeheartedly that many of us are developing an addiction to digital stimulation that has the impact of shortening our attention spans. The medical theory goes like this: Step 1: you get accustomed to constantly checking your email and phone and responding to the incoming pings; Step 2: when you open your email or answer your phone, you get a little adrenaline rush; Step 3: in the absence of that little adrenaline rush, you seek out more.

Enter Pavlov. You are now one of his dogs.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Regardless of what Annie may have "programmed" Nat to believe, wouldn't he idealize and romanticize her and their love if she was taken tragically from him at a young age?

Absolutely. But this all part of the circle of obsession I'm referring to. Some people – Nat among them – seem particularly susceptible to romanticizing life. That means that experiences that might impact some people to some degree (like the loss of love) would impact him more so. Same might be said of some people and booze or computer use. What is addiction? What is love? What is truth?

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Creating a ruthless business woman like Annie is outside the stereotypical mold we assign to high-power executives. Turns out that Annie could run circles around her father. Do you think women, the truly savvy and cold-hearted ones, are a force to be reckoned with?

If this question is designed to get me in trouble with my wife/mother/sister/grandmother, I'll fall for it.

The answer is: yes, and no. I generally don't find people to be as ruthless as they can be when drawn in thrillers. That said, I do think cunning and ambition know no gender. I suppose, off the top of my head, I think that men are more likely to have disregard for other people because they are, very generally speaking, less good listeners who are thus less prone to take into account others' needs. On the other hand, women – because they can pay better attention and empathize better – are in a position to both soothe and manipulate emotions.

But, as I say, those are gross, gross overgeneralizations that I would not stand by or hold myself out as an expert witness to the human condition.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Hooked is largely about how easily humans can be manipulated. It seemed that the point of the story was to make us question our beliefs, our relationships, even our sense of self. We all have a weakness that can be exploited by another and that same weakness can make us blind to the truth. How can we ever really trust in ourselves or anybody else when it's so easy to be fooled?

Can we trust ourselves? I think that depends on how much we really know ourselves. I do think it is possible to know ourselves, and, as part of that, to recognize how often our perspectives and desires change and vary. For instance, if we recognize how certain people – whether mates or presidential candidates – impact our moods and perspectives and emotions, then we can readily develop some faith that we are reacting in proportion to the world. I think where things get interesting/tricky is when we don't really know what we're reacting to, or why. Sometimes, my wife can say something and I find it adorable, or innocuous. The next day, the same thing can annoy me. That has nothing to do with her. By extension, we are susceptible to manipulation only to the extent that don't know ourselves – what we want, and what is good for us.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

Will Nat be able to find peace over Annie's death? Will he ever really let her go?

No.

BCQ: Love is another addiction that is hard to bounce back from. As Nat realizes, his next love will be "less great, and greater" because he so idealized Annie. How will any other woman compare to that?

Matt: Nat will fall in love again, and he'll fall hard. That's his nature. But no woman will ever mean quite the same thing as Annie because part of Nat always lives in the past. That is his nature too. He is an optimistic who also happens to have a knack for filling quiet moments with mourning for quests unfulfilled.

Good Interview Answers from Matt Richtel

What other projects are you working on right now that you can share with us? Do you plan to write a second novel?

I'm well into a second novel. It's called Idle's Mind. Same main character as in Hooked. It's another fast-paced thriller. It revolves around Nat Idle and his grandmother, Lane Idle, who are in a fight for their lives. Grandma holds a terrible, world-changing secret. The trouble is, she has dementia, and has no idea what it is. Nat must elicit it from her, and save the day. The story is one about the passing of generations, Nat's maturation, and it also revolves around a technology conspiracy.