How 'The Hobbit' Inspired Richard Armitage’s New Book
The actor-turned-author's crime thriller is set to be adapted for the screen.

Elizabeth Held
4 hours ago

You may know the multi-award-winning stage, screen and voice actor Richard Armitage from his roles as Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy or as the serial killer Frances Dolarhyde in Hannibal—both stories inspired by books. You may have heard him narrate audiobook classics such as David Copperfield. Now, he’s making his own contribution to the literary world with Geneva, a chilling thriller set in the Swiss city. Armitage talked with Parade about the book and a coming screen adaptation.

What can readers expect from Geneva?

It’s a destination crime thriller about a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Sarah, who was drawn out of retirement by her husband to endorse a revolutionary new neurological implant. Sarah starts to experience the symptoms of Alzheimer's, and when she gets to Geneva, she realizes that she's at the center of a crime, of which she is the target, and she needs to get out of that place pretty damn quick.

What do you hope people take from your book?

I hope they're engaged with the fractured marriage at the center of this story and that they don't spot the major twists before they arrive. I hope they are shocked and exhilarated and that the hairs stand up on the back of their arms. I want them to engage with Sarah and feel some kind of relief when she gets to the end of her story.

What was your writing process?

It was commissioned by the audiobook company Audible initially. It was always meant to be listened to before it was going to be the printed word. I worked with an editor to get a water-tight story structure.

I've read a lot of crime thrillers, but I never really understood the length and structure of what a crime thriller needs to be. I worked on that with the editor, and then I started chapter-by-chapter. I read every word aloud because I knew there would be no visual reference for this. Everything had to sound perfect. In some ways, it was more a musical experience than a literary one.

The city Geneva is almost a character in the book, as well as a setting. Why there?

I visited the city quite a few years ago, and I was intrigued by the rococo, classical architecture. It's set around this beautiful lake, but it also has a university which is dedicated to biotechnology. Switzerland is a fascinating, neutral country with its own banking system. It’s the center of Dignitas, a doctor-assisted suicide institution. All of these things made Switzerland and Geneva, in particular, interesting to me. I was also keen on that high-altitude location in the Alps for a medical research and development center. I thought, You can really disappear into a place like that.

Geneva explores Alzheimer's and neurological research. What drew you to the topic?

I've had a few friends and family who have been touched by dementia in various forms. I’m interested in what it does to your perception of the world. I’m also very pro-assisted dying. Both of my parents ended up in a hospice, and I’ve been curious about that world, but also the science fiction versus science fact. I’m also curious about neurological technology. Look how quickly we adapted to having the smartphone in our hands. I think we’re a hair’s breadth away from having a microchip under our skin. All of these areas of science fascinate me.

Has acting influenced your writing?

I realized that I might be an actor when I read The Lord of the Rings at 14, and I was grieving for the characters at the end because I had gone full immersion into putting myself in their shoes. If I hadn’t gone to drama school, I would have probably studied English literature.

Since then, whenever I perform or create a character, I always have a mountain of books as research or inspiration for the work that I’m doing. So, over the years, I’ve collected various skills—whether it’s analyzing a book or looking at a breakdown of a script or dialogues on a page and working with various playwrights across the board, from Shakespeare to David Mamet. All of those things created a useful tool kit when I finally went to put pen to paper for myself.

Knowing how much The Lord of the Rings meant to you as a reader, what was it like for you to act in that world?

When The Hobbit came along, Peter Jackson took over, and I got an audition. I could not believe I was even going to go meet him. Then, getting cast in something like that was unreal, but a little part of me deep down thought maybe it was meant to be.

Any plans for a Geneva TV or film adaptation?

I’ve just done a deal with Sony, and we are going to develop it into a six-part TV drama. I’m going to play Sarah’s husband, Daniel. We’ve only just started talking, but maybe in the next two years, we’ll get it up on its feet. It’s exciting.