Sumisu: Now, I have to be careful what I say here. I can state that he is drawn from various sources.
RSS: Why do you say you have to be careful? It does sound a bit enigmatic... Are you saying that people you know will recognise themselves in him?
Sumisu: There is no definitive source for Stent, he is a composite of lots of people I have met and had the pleasure - and occasionally displeasure - of working with. In much the same way as Stent is bound by certain ethical restrictions, so am I.
RSS: I've read that you have practiced as a therapist, did you draw on personal experience when writing about Stent's therapeutic sessions?
Sumisu: I qualified as a therapist and spent a good deal of time treating various clients; again, no one character in the book is a literary representation of a specific person. In much the same way as we are all made up of various facets, so too are my characters, including Matthew.
RSS: So is Stent's way of offering therapy very different from your own?
Sumisu: Absolutely. I don't personally believe a psychotherapist could survive for long if they conducted themselves in the way Matthew does.
RSS: What were your greatest challenges in creating Matthew Stent?
Sumisu: First and foremost I needed him to be believable. There had to be a moral code to which he adhered that, paradoxically, was poles away from where the rest of society sees themselves and especially where we would expect a psychiatrist or therapist to be. I found that quite hard because whilst there had to be this sensational element there also had to be some humanity in him. Essentially, he is a good person.
RSS: Certainly for the first part of the book he keeps this 'good' quality fairly well hidden, were you worried that this would put your readers off?
Sumisu: It was a consideration, certainly. But CPR is a transgressive novel and I feel I would not have been doing the genre justice if I did not show him 'warts and all'. The first part of the book sets him up as a - at times - loathsome, manipulative, immoral person and if the reader takes that essence of him away with them then I have achieved what I set out to do. It makes what happens in the second part all the more powerful, I believe.
RSS: There's another question I want to ask, about the voyeuristic element of the book. Through Matthew the reader explores some fairly shocking sexual themes, are you just playing to the current fashion of erotic fiction?
Sumisu: Let me say I view the often complex sexual side of human interaction as something we are all involved with at some stage in our lives. Sex is important. Writing about sex might be considered as erotic tittilation, especially at the moment, but my intention was purely to illustrate how integral it is to everyone we meet and know. Just because they don't go on about it all the time doesn't mean that it is pushed to the back of their minds.
RSS: Which is why it is quite graphic?
Sumisu: That depends on your viewpoint. The depiction could be considered graphic, in the same way as it could also be considered realistic. It's all subjective.
RSS: But it is shocking in places? Was it your intention? To shock?
Sumisu: No, as I said, it's all subjective. The real intention was to make the sex as realistic as possible, if it shocks then perhaps that says more about the reader than the narrative...
RSS: Stent seems completely alone in the world, is this correct?
Sumisu: To a certain extent it is about where Matthew finds himself in society, but on a much broader level it is a comment about where a lot of us find ourselves today. There is a level of isolation and loneliness, whether self-imposed or otherwise, that we have all experienced. It's that level of isolation that makes empathy so difficult for many of us to access.
RSS: That is a theme you explore through Stent isn't it? Empathy.
Sumisu: Definitely, that and other unrealistic aspects of psychotherapy such as UPR - Unconditional Positive Regard - which is supposed to be a basic tenet for person centred counselling.
RSS: For readers who aren't as familiar with such terms, what is Unconditional Positive Regard and how does it differ from CPR - Conditional Positive Regard - the title of your book?
Sumisu: UPR is the state of being that counsellors are told to aspire to where they remain totally unaffected, emotionally, by the testimony of their clients, whatever that might be. For example a counsellor might have to listen to a client describe very distressing, repugnant elements of their life that would naturally cause someone else to be adversely affected...
RSS: But a counsellor would not be affected in the same way?
Sumisu: That's the theory. From my point of view and experience, it is totally unrealistic. It is largely unachievable. How we respond to someone is conditional, based on things like how we are feeling at the time, if we agree with what they are telling us, the way they dress, the way they behave... Even a seemingly inconsequential factor, like the weather can affect how we respond to another person. Matthew Stent is a dedicated professional and realises that UPR - because it is unrealistic - disallows him to be congruent, or honest - another basic tenet of person centred counselling.
RSS: Yes, you appear to be critical of Carl Rogers' approach to counselling in your book...
Sumisu: Not at all, I merely point out that the things Rogers ascribes to being essential to becoming a counsellor are things that even he could not attain, which obviously throws some doubt on the effectiveness of PCC (Person Centred Counselling) as a viable therapeutic tool.
RSS: Are you concerned that your book will put some people off considering going for counselling?
Sumisu: Not at all. There are certain types of counselling I don't think are right for everyone. Some counsellors have this idea that with their practice 'one size fits all' which is ridiculous. We are all individuals and require individual consideration. My character shares this more enlightened view and tailors his therapy to suit his clients.
RSS: I see. Can you sum up Matthew Stent in one sentence?
Sumisu: That might be difficult but I'll try... Matthew Stent is a product of our times, a man who imagines he is in control of the factors that shape his life but like so many of us is up shit creek without a paddle - rudderless, alone, and at the mercy of fate.
RSS: Trak it's been great talking to you and finding out a bit more about your creation. Thank-you very much.
Sumisu: It's my pleasure.
