About this episode

Philippa Hall interviews Ilona Bannister about her new thriller 'Five', exploring themes of fate and mortality.

In this episode of  Quick Book Reviews , Philippa is joined by  Ilona Bannister  to talk about her striking new novel  Five  — a tense, original and deeply thought-provoking thriller set over just a few minutes on a train platform. What would you do if you had only  five minutes left  and didn’t know it? That chilling question sits at the heart of  Five , a novel about five strangers, interconnected lives, hidden stories, and the ripple effects of tragedy. Ilona talks about the real-life inspiration behind the book, the creation of its unforgettable narrative voice, and why this story led her naturally into the thriller space. Philippa also reviews: The Heir Apparent  by Rebecca Armitage Automatic Noodle  by Annalee Newitz Dissection of a Murder  by Jo Murray In this episode Ilona Bannister on the inspiration behind  Five Why the novel begins on a train platform How the book explores fate, connection, mortality and missed moments The challenge of writing a fast-paced novel set across such a short time frame The creation of the book’s sharp, unusual narrative voice Why one character had to be cut and another took her…

People in this episode

Host: Philippa Hall

Guest: Ilona Bannister

Topics covered

• thriller
• fate
• mortality
• interconnected lives
• narrative voice
• writing challenges

Keywords

• Ilona Bannister
• Five
• thriller
• train platform
• narrative voice
• writing
• emotional storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Five, The Heir Apparent, Automatic Noodle, Dissection of a Murder

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