Why the connection between Raf and Hannah is unbreakable
When I first started writing my debut novel, I knew Hannah would be the kind of person who discovers she doesn’t need anyone else to feel loved or cherished. She has built a life of her own and carries herself as a strong-willed, fiercely independent woman. All of those shifts, however, when she is accused of the college murders. Suddenly she feels isolated and vulnerable, yet her godfather Rafael remains steadfastly at her side. One thing readers will notice is the deep, almost instinctive bond between godfather and goddaughter — an unbreakable connection that endures even in the face of memory loss. In future books I plan to explore more fully how Rafael’s return throws Hannah into an even lonelier place: she has no one else, and her ingrained independence makes her reluctant to ask for help or admit she needs protection, until Rafael reappears and upends that self-reliance. When we first meet Hannah she is secretly in contact with her godfather, who teaches at the college she attends, but she keeps their relationship hidden because she fears being accused of receiving special treatment. The character of Rafael is inspired by my former professor, R.G.; after years in his classroom, I wanted Rafael to carry a dark past — a history he desperately tries to conceal because he fears Hannah would be hurt if she ever learned the truth.
Despite the events of the second book and the accident that robs her of her memory, the bond between them endures, if altered. He tries his hardest to be understanding and patient, yet remains the steady, composed presence he has always been, until she acts in a way that forces him to make the painful decision to walk away.
In the third one, he is the main subject of Paris Noir: Deadly Obsession. When a man from his past resurfaces, Rafael grows increasingly fearful for Hannah’s safety, despite her pattern of constant accidents; when the roles reverse, Hannah remains steadfastly by her godfather’s side, proving that not even a loss of memory or a poisoned kidnapping can sever the unbreakable bond between them.
As the book progresses, Raf grows increasingly protective of her, to the point that she finally confronts her godfather and tells him, “You cannot keep pulling me from the path of oncoming trains.” She means that no matter how hard Rafael tries, he cannot shield her from every danger; new trains appear every day, and some risks she must face on her own. None the less nothing will stop the bond between these two, not even a poisoned silence.
