The Three Wrongs

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

The three wrongs follows soon-to-be bankrupt James Neill fighting and then using circumstance to commit, what he considers as being, the perfect crime by making a shocking ‘reality’ film.

James discovers a schoolbook on a park bench. Inside is a ghost story called “The Three Wrongs” about a young girl who is killed in an accident but is not allowed into heaven until she rights three major wrongs she had committed in her life. So she comes back to earth as a ghost to correct the wrongs. James fantasizes about creating the film and a dream shows him the path to do this. The writer, twelve year old Claire O’ Connell, unwittingly becomes central role in his film.

The book is set into three main parts with timelines running adjacent. The first part, written first-party and present tense, follows the making of James’ film and all the thought process that develop as a result. You really get into the mind of the character and often feel sympathy with him, even through committing his crimes - he’s a normal guy whose back is against the wall, which is why it’s so shocking in parts.

James captures Claire and befriends her to find out three wrongs that she committed in her own life. He starts to feel an attachment to her but his plan is to kill her and go about to emulate her ghost, using his alter ego to film the reactions to the people affected by the righting of her wrongs – having conned his way into several houses (including Claire’s) by convincing families that his company is making a reality TV show. Claire’s death occurs through a fit of rage and circumstance fully opens doors for James in order for him to make his film. James thinks, as the reader does, that he has got away with it, until he sees Claire’s Father on his land. Claire’s real ghost has led him to James.

The second part of the book is Claire’s parent’s story about what happened. As James emulates one ghost, Claire’s real ghost is leading Claire’s Father to the truth. In this part of the book you realise just how ironic so many of the incidental happenings in the first part of the book had such a big effect on circumstance without James realising. This part of the book is the real film as Claire’s parents tell the tale to Hollywood maverick Marcus Ritchie. What becomes so apparent is that you realise how many of the clues lie in the past – indeed going back years beforehand.

This is what is so disturbing to the reader because it’s so realistic you have to get your head around the connotations: Did Claire’s ghost exist before her physical death – if so was she killed by her own ghost?

The third part of the book is very short, just three pages and is Claire’s original story. Here you realise how Claire had prophesised her own destiny without even James realising how apt it would all end up being. It adds further fuel to the “Chicken and the Egg” scenario which gets created in the book.

The epilogue to the book has another massive double-twist and this is what will make the book so compelling – it’s a loop-round –– The only question unanswered by James’ actions to Claire’s Father is how James discovered the book in the first place – The epilogue finds Michael in an identical situation to James and the book ends there with the reader looping round to the beginning and answering the other unanswered questions about how circumstance is able to lead the path it does. Thus the “Chicken and the egg” scenario starts all over again. It certainly makes the reader think.

Geographically the book is set within a fictitious town of Tensfield within the Lake District area of England but many of the other places are real. James makes the film in the Glencoe area of Scotland and I have tried to keep much of the aesthetic feel and beauty of his surroundings as I can, even allowing the occasional historic reference. Despite the disturbing storyline I have tried to capture beauty as a running theme:- beauty of the countryside, physical beauty, beauty within the making of James’ film and even beauty in Claire’s death sequence.

I am also in the latter stages of compiling a soundtrack to the book with beauty being the main theme. It’s a juxtaposition of emotion and content and I would hope that the book, especially with the music part of the overall package, would move any reader.