About
the Author
Martin has
lived in Portugal for thirty years, having previously been a school teacher in
which he taught English as a foreign language in Brazil. The author currently
resides in Cascais, in which he affirmed that “Portugal is my home and I am
very fond of the place. I am proud and happy to have Portuguese citizenship.”
“False
as Water” Synopsis
Martin then
kindly shared: “I was married with three children and a busy job and I never
got round to writing but it was always an ambition of mine to write a novel as
I just liked the process of writing.” He added, “Years ago, when I taught English
as a foreign language, I wrote a course book which had sales all around the
world and was quite successful but I was dying to write a story and it wasn’t
until I stopped working five years ago that I suddenly had the time, which is
how this novel came about following a successful blog.”
Martin went
on to share a synopsis of “False as Water” so readers can have a taste of what
to expect: “Lisbon, 2019. Divorced loner Ralph Thompson has long given up on
romance and has settled for eking out a cautious existence as a middle-aged
schoolteacher with no ties or emotional entanglements. But when an attractive,
troubled housewife crashes into his car in a supermarket car park, he is drawn
out of his shell and finds himself involved in another person’s life again.
“The
problem is, Heather Ribeiro’s life also includes her husband, a jealous,
abusive, and dangerous police detective - and as Heather and Ralph’s
slow-burning relationship develops, it gradually becomes clear that they are
heading for bad trouble.”
Inspiration
Martin
Mills told The Portugal News that the novel came from “partly having the
time and I was writing up my blog and I was following up on something Trump had
said and I ended up discovering misogynist websites written by mad young men in
America who were anti-women and it really struck me as quite shocking.”
“I also
went to a couple of demonstrations in Lisbon and domestic abuse in Portugal has
become much bigger news in the last five to eight years and then I personally
knew women who had married unsuccessfully and these marriages involved being
knocked about and being mistreated. A friend of mine currently at that time was
in the process of being treated quite badly by her husband so it all stirred me
up and I thought I could write about that topic.”
My initial
thought was how intriguing the title of the novel is and I asked Martin where
the idea came from. Martin explained that he has included in the preface a very
important scene from Othello, in which Othello believes Desdemona to be “false
as water” despite her innocence. The title comes from this scene as the story
is about marital abuse and I suppose rescue and the fact that jealousy causes a
lot of problems in resentful men. He explained that water is associated with
purity and life but also it can easily be false, jokingly adding “If it’s good
enough for Shakespeare!”. The title comes from the scene in Othello, the story
is about marital abuse and I suppose rescue, with jealousy causing a lot of
problems with resentful men.
Believable
Characters
When asked
about the protagonist called Ralph Thompson, the author explained that “He is a
divorced loner who has given up on romance, and has settled for eking out a
cautious existence as a middle-aged schoolteacher with no ties or emotional
entanglements.” Adding that “I sort of invented a character like me but not
quite as there are considerable differences between us. Ralph just wants to
mind his own little plot and keep himself out of trouble after a painful
experience in marriage. I tried to make him a good teacher and a good
listener.”
He then
added, “What I am proud about in the book is that both characters are believable
and the dialogue is normal and I like keeping them down to earth.”
Martin
affirmed that “It is a really simple story really and it does not have a
thriller plot except the last third, there is a lot of suspense. Everybody who
has read the book and got back to me has said that they really couldn’t put it
down.”
“False as
Water” has received positive reviews with an example of this being one
Goodreads reader giving it five stars and stating that it is “A thrilling,
gripping read. False as Water is a love story which draws the reader in through
its exploration of the horror of domestic violence and the entrapment
experienced by so many women behind the curtains of everyday life.” Adding “The
characters feel real and totally original and the dialogue feels true and laden
with insightful observations on love, marriage and gender roles which stay with
the reader long after the book is finished.”
Martin
revealed that there will not be a sequel to the book but that he will continue
writing and a second book is on the cards. If you would like to purchase a copy
of “False as Water”, you can find this wonderful novel as a paperback on Amazon Spain and Amazon.com with the option to purchase it on Kindle.
Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.