Jem's interview on London Live talking about Proximity
"Jem Tugwell's crime thriller Proximity takes us to a world where technology has eradicated crime - or at least the perception of it.
The book raises questions around the advances we are making when it comes to tech - and the implications for society. "
Oh wow, I am absolutely blown away with this book. Set in the future, but one that is totally believable, big brother is definitely watching every move everyone makes. Obesity is a thing of the past and crime almost none existent. Well it sounds pretty cool to me. Sign me up! But it’s not everyone’s cuppa tea!
When a serial killer discovers a way to go off grid and scratch an itch that has been suppressed for the last ten years since tracking everyone was introduced, all hell breaks loose. DI Clive Lussac and his new partner Zoe Jordan have to investigate with a mixture of new tech and old…
PROXIMITY is a fantastic read to pick up this summer, not just for the topical warning about technology and the problems of too much oversight, but for the good, old-fashioned, page-turning thriller element.
The most unique element of this novel is that sci fi setting — the iMe system that tracks and polices all behaviour through an implanted system, from location and payments to calorie consumption. Tugwell does a great job of fleshing out the little, unexpected ways that such a system would impact your life, like forcing everyone to be healthier, causing marital strife because you aren’t…
Writing my debut novel, Proximity, I wanted a future setting to add another dimension to the crime story. The world of Proximity allows an examination of how our lives might look in the near future. The positives and negatives. The moral dilemmas. It's interesting to hear people's different perspectives on it, and see where their own personal boundaries lie.
When I have to name the genre of the novel, I struggle. Stuart MacBride must have had a similar dilemma in 2010 with his book Halfhead. Calling Proximity cross-genre just confuses the issue.
So Proximity is speculative fiction?…
After reviewing Jem Tugwell’s debut novel, Proximity, for nbmagazine.co.uk and finding it to be “an extraordinary book …"
Gill Chedgey: Firstly, let me get my fangirling out of the way and say how I thought Proximity was wonderful and how I struggled to believe it’s a debut novel and how compelling I found your writing! I did research a little into your background; moving from investment management to novel writing is quite a leap. Can you tell us a little about that journey?
Jem Tugwell: Thanks so much. Such positive feedback really means a lot to me. I’ve had the writing itch for years,…