I found an interview with M.Rickert on Shirley Jackson's blog. In the interview he explains why he wrote "Holiday". Here is the link:
http://shirleyjacksonawards.blogspot.com/2008/06/charles-tan-interviews-m-rickert.html
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It almost sounds like this girl Holiday was haunting her as well, and Rickert was like the protagonist. This is really creepy.
ReplyDeleteDespite the strong and openly approached themes of pedophilia and child murder in "Holiday", I actually really appreciated this story. I was fascinated with it and the whole idea of what it takes to drive someone to killing an innocent child and also what it takes to drive someone to have inappropriate thoughts regarding the sexual nature of these children. This perhaps stems from my major of psychology and wanting to know the deeper workings of the inner mind.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this interview, though, I was severely creeped out. Rickert's obsession with writing about dead children seems to rival the obsession that the main character felt for the little dead girl. It's like Rickert was an addict to writing about this topic, which, even I have to admit is unsettling. It makes for a good story, but I highly doubt that writing about such a topic so many times is healthy.