From Deseret News archives:
Cotterill's 'Old Dogs' captivates readers with older characters
His latest novel is "Anarchy and Old Dogs," set in 1970s Laos, the fourth in a series that has included "The Coroner's Lunch," "Thirty-Three Teeth" and "Disco for the Departed."
The chief character is 73-year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun, an amalgamation of different people Cotterill has known. "I knew a man who looked like Dr. Siri and another who had the right personality," he said by phone from his home in Cheng Mai, Thailand. "When I go to mystery festivals, hard-line types come to me and say, 'Dr. Siri is a breath of fresh air.' Perhaps some readers needed a different place to hang out."
In "Anarchy and Old Dogs," Dr. Siri, "the reluctant national coroner of Laos," is trying to identify the body of a man who turns out to be a retired blind dentist, killed by a logging truck in front of the post office. He was delivering a letter written in invisible ink.
When Siri discovers the letter was also written in code, he decides to investigate — with the help of his best friend, Civilai, a senior member of the Laos politburo and also in his 70s; Nurse Dtui; Phosy, a police officer; and Auntie Bpoo, a transvestite fortune teller.
It's a crazy but wonderful story, told with wit and color — and it's especially strong on dialogue.
Cotterill is 55, but his novel about septuagenarians who are clever and highly intelligent is refreshing. He thought it was time to feature older characters, "because they're being wasted."
He has spent most of his life drawing cartoons, but because his sense of humor is "peculiar," as he puts it, "Not everyone gets them."
A latecomer to reading — because his family had no books around the house — Cotterill read the classics in adulthood. But he's not sure any other writers had an impact on his work.
When he has a writing block, he does something artistic — such as designing a book jacket — to break the monotony. "I was always trying to get away from home. In my teens, I could jump on a ferry and go to France and hitchhike to Spain. If I went 500 miles I could travel through seven countries. Australia was my ultimate aim.
"I thought I'd work my way back, but I kept branching out to Asia. I feel more at home here. Now I can't imagine living in the West again. I may have been picked up by the wrong parents at the hospital!"
Cotterill said that when he returns to England, he feels threatened. "People get more upset about things than seems necessary — like traffic jams, what's on TV, the prices at shops. I just keep thinking, 'Calm down!"'
