We sent some questions to Sean Ferrell, the author of Man in the Empty Suit. He was kind of enough to answer them for us.
1-) In the novel, "you would know" is used as an insult. How did you think of this? The readers really liked it.
“You would know” felt like the only way the narrator could get under the skin of the “elders.” It is my experience that if a group of people constantly use strong language around each other it loses its ability to insult. If one person constantly name calls or corrects another person a kind of numbness can evolve and remove the sting. For the main character, his complete self-awareness (or what he thinks is self-awareness) means name calling would be useless. He hates himself, he hates every version of himself, and he thinks that he knows EVERTHING there is to know about himself. “You would know” has become the only stinging phrase he has left. It pulls from him self-hatred and says to the other person “we both know that underneath your calm exterior you are weak and stupid and egotistical and… etc.” If I’m alone and say to myself “here is what you are” it may be sad but it won’t hurt the way that “you already knew who you are” would.
2-) Why was the year 2071?
The year 2071… I wanted the world to feel like it had recognizable elements (landmarks etc) but didn’t want it to be an overly recognizable world. The far future would have been too distant and required a lot of world building that I think would have weighed the novel down and distracted from the focus (the main character). There is already a lot of wild stuff happening, I didn’t need flying cars, spaceships or robots with lasers as well. That would have been a lot. At the same time, 2071 is far enough away that it needed to be a future that has difference. I landed on a desolate, empty future to further focus the reader back onto the main point: who is this man, what is he doing to himself. He could just as easily have this adventure unfold in 1071 as 2071. 2071 has another useful aspect: it illustrates the main character’s super narcissistic behavior. He is celebrating his own birthday like it’s an epic anniversary. He’s really a jerk at the start.
3-) Has this been optioned for any kind of adaptation? The readers think it would excel as a TV show or film.
So far there hasn’t been any deal made to get this to tv or film, but the people who represent me professionally are still working to make it happen. I’m grateful that your club members think it would work as a movie!
4-) What were your influences on this novel, literary or otherwise?
My influences for this books were many! I’m a big fan of classic sci-fi (books, shows, movies) and in no particular order here are some of the influences on this book:
-Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and other novels by Philip K Dick (he’s heavily influenced my writing style)
- Bladerunner (film) the adaptation of the book “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” which presents us with a future that is so rooted in today that it’s eerie.
-The Hundred Brothers by Donald Antrim
-12 Monkeys (film) by Terry Gilliam
-Roald Dahl (author)(Charlie and the Chocolate factory etc are all stories about people who sometimes do bad things, often question authority, and don’t get “who is in charge” which I appreciate as a reader, writer, and person, and which I think are all important truths to wrestle with as we learn how to live with ourselves and others; he also has worlds were one really strange element is enough to change our perception of our actual world, and that is something I aspire to as a writer).
I hope all this is interesting (and clear… did I ramble?…). Thanks again to you and the readers. I wish you all the best, and a safe and happy entry into the future (2024!).