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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 14 February 2018
A prize for thrillers without female victims divides opinion

By JILL LAWLESS do? Women make up
LONDON (AP) — It's a chill- a large portion of thriller
ing cliche of thrillers that readers and authors, and
women often end up ab- female crime writers have
ducted, abused or dead. been among the strongest
One writer is so sick of the critics of the prize.
violence that she has set Crime novelist Sophie Han-
up a book prize to reward nah, whose latest book is
crime novels "in which no the mystery thriller "Keep
woman is beaten, stalked, Her Safe", wrote in The
sexually exploited, raped Guardian that it's vital to
or murdered." The contest tell stories in which violence
has some writers and read- "is subjected to psychologi-
ers cheering, but others say cal and moral scrutiny, and
it could deter authors from punished."
tackling tough real-life is- “Reading the eligibility cri-
sues. teria, it’s hard to avoid the
The Staunch Book Prize of- conclusion that the prize
fers a 2,000 pound ($2,800) actively sets out to discour-
purse and is open to pub- age crime fiction, even of
lished and unpublished the highest quality, that
books alike. tackles violence against
London-based writer and women head-on,” she
educator Bridget Lawless wrote.
founded the contest after Scottish crime writer Val
growing weary of violence McDermid said good writ-
against women being a ers “want to address these
"go-to motivator" in books, issues — not by ignoring
films and TV shows. them but by dealing with
"We haven't really moved them in a way that isn’t
on too far from the silent exploitative.” “As long as
movies," said Lawless, women are dying at the
who argues that violence hands of violent men, I am
against women in fiction Writer Bridget Lawless poses for photographs in London, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. Associated Press going to write about this.
has become both numb- Because not to write about
ingly commonplace and of being announced, the the International Day for have written personal mes- it is to pretend it’s not hap-
increasingly explicit. "Wom- prize has acquired a web- the Elimination of Violence sages to me to say 'thank pening,” McDermid told
en are still being tied to the site, a judging panel — Against Women. goodness,'" she said. the BBC. Lawless says she
tracks, but now they have Lawless, comedian Doon Lawless thinks the reception She said that at a time is not trying to limit writers’
got to be raped first." Mackichan and literary is connected to the dam- when "women are very seri- freedom, but just wants
Lawless says she has been agent Piers Blofield — and burst of women's stories un- ously talking about violence readers to have a choice.
surprised by the strength international media cover- leashed by sexual-miscon- that's happened to them ... “I’m not telling everyone
of reaction to the idea, age. duct allegations against a lot of people don't want they shouldn’t write it or
which was partly inspired The Staunch Prize is open powerful men in entertain- to go home and then mop read it,” she said. “It’s not
by the "Me Too" movement for submissions from Feb. ment, politics, business and up lots of violence against censorship or a ban. It’s just
against Hollywood sexual 22 to July 15, with the win- the media. women in literature." saying: ‘Come on, can’t we
harassment. Within weeks ner announced on Nov. 25, "Lots and lots of readers But what about those who find some other stories?’”q

Review: Tom Miller's novel turns gender roles upside down

By KIM CURTIS produce a physical affect. nized movement seeks to Miller's writing is intoxicat-
Associated Press Practitioners draw sigils or destroy it and send women ing and one doesn't need
Rarely does a novel begin glyphs on various surfaces back into the home rath- to be a fantasy or sci-fi fan
with rollicking fierceness to choose the resulting ac- er than watch them rise to adore this book. One
that grabs readers from its tion. The science/art came through the military and only hopes Miller can man-
opening lines and doesn't into widespread use in the academic ranks. age to take a break from
loosen its grip or lessen its 1750s and, by the novel's Male sigilrists are rare, but doctoring to write another
hold all the way through. opening in 1917, it's used that doesn't dash Weekes' book and another and
"The Philosopher's Flight" is for everything from hover- hopes of joining the same another.q
the debut novel from Tom ing and flying hundreds of elite corps that his mother
Miller, an emergency room miles to preventing preg- once led. When he re-
doctor from Madison, Wis- nancy, healing injuries — ceives a prodigious schol-
consin, and he's woven a and even, to murder. arship to Radcliffe College,
fanciful tale set against the Not surprisingly, philoso- then primarily for women,
historic backdrop of post- phers have become much Weekes leaves his rural
World War I America. sought after in wartime. Montana town and heads
In the book's prologue, They're even credited with to Boston where his formal This book cover image re-
narrator Robert Weekes ending the Civil War. studies begin as well as his leased by Simon & Schus-
introduces empirical phi- Women excel at the prac- eye-opening introduction ter shows "The Philosopher's
Flight," a novel by Tom Miller.
losophy or sigilry — the tice, so naysayers dismiss it to the larger world and its Associated Press
movement of energy to as witchcraft and an orga- politics and social norms.