It wasn't until the late 1980s, when I'd lived in London for nearly 20 years, that I discovered the joy of the National Film Theatre and its several cinemas, showing five or six different films every single day. I was intrigued by the sight each night of the same small group of regulars in a corner of the foyer. Speculation about the lives of these insular figures led many years later to the novel, which found its voice and form quickly over a matter of months in 2021.
I didn't do any research, nor for any other of my novels, all of which are around subjects I know and care about. Almost all the films which Brian sees I too have seen, none of them re-seen for writing the book. I've only ever watched film live on a cinema screen. The novel's charm and power lies in its unusual tone of proximity and distance from the protagonist.
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