"When in reality, no-one wants to kill people like V more than boylovers except the parents themselves."

Well, you have a different take on V-- than I do, I have to confess. But that sort of thing often happens to me. When I sent this novel out for pre-publication readings, a couple of the readers made a point of telling me how sickening they thought Paul was. I'd actually regarded him as a sympathetic character, but they saw him from a different angle. And I'd be the first to say that authors can't see everything that exists in their texts.

What I can say, though, is that the novel isn't merely about individuals but about community: the ways in which communities shape people, and the ways in which people shape communities.