Robyn Harding talks about fame, “The Haters” and one-star book reviews

July 15, 2024

The Haters by Robyn Harding

What is it about?

The Haters is a twisted tale of fame, obsession, and the dark corners of social media. When her debut novel receives just a one-star review, the abuse soon turns deadly. Camryn must do everything she has to expose the enemy who so desperately wants to destroy her—and finally find out why she’s being targeted.

You don’t have to be a writer to understand the pain of a bad review. Whether you’re an artist, an entrepreneur, or just someone stepping out of their comfort zone, we live in a society where criticism is quick to the point, often behind the anonymity of a keyboard.

And sometimes that criticism leads to something much worse.

This is certainly the case in the latest publication by the international bestselling author Robyn Hardingwho says The Haters was unfortunately inspired by some personal negative experiences.

In this novel, debut author Camryn Lane lives her dream. After a long publishing journey full of rejection and self-doubt, her book is now out in the world and her family couldn’t be prouder. Life seems to be on the right track.

But when she receives a disturbing message from a reader, Camryn falls down the dark rabbit hole of self-destruction. One very bad review leads to another and another – and soon Camryn is convinced that someone is trying to ruin her. She can’t let them destroy her career.

“One bad review isn’t a bad thing,” says Harding, admitting that her books have received several of them over the course of her career. “Everyone has the right to not like a book. But I think it’s unfair to intentionally let me know. Authors should of course be able to accept constructive criticism, but the book is written and it’s not constructive at this point – there’s nothing I can do now and it just hurts my feelings.”

Of course, you can’t please everyone, and Harding says the complaints often relate to aspects outside the author’s control – such as where the publisher wants the book to be set. In Harding’s case, she has received numerous messages from readers upset that her previous novels are not set in Canada.

“That’s my publisher’s decision,” says Harding. “I’ve been trying to set a book here for years.”

Ironic, The Haters takes place in Vancouver, Canada, where Harding lives.

“It’s a world-class city, but it has its problems,” she says. “It has a dark underbelly. We have a lot of problems with homelessness, mental health issues and drug addiction. But on the surface, it looks so perfect – which I think is a great metaphor for publishing. Most people don’t understand that every time a book deal ends, it’s like you’re getting fired. It’s very hard on the psyche and the heart.”

Another reason may be that those one-star reviews can hurt. Harding knows she shouldn’t get involved in them – not long ago she closed the “contact” section of her website to be less accessible – but her character Camryn defies the industry’s sage advice. That doesn’t go over well.

“I wanted Camryn to represent both sides of the coin,” Harding says. “She’s a normal, relatable person. But when her dream is attacked and she feels like her life is falling apart, she goes to extremes. I think a lot of us can relate to that.”

The Haters may sound a bit like a cautionary tale – the price of fame, the risks of being vulnerable in public, what to do and what not to do when faced with criticism – but Harding says her primary goal is always to entertain. With this novel, she more than succeeds.

About Robyn Harding:

Robyn Harding is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Haters, TThe Drowning Woman, The perfect family, The order, Her pretty faceAnd The partythe finalist for the Arthur Ellis Prize for the best crime novel. Her novel, The exchangedebuted at number 1 on the Canadian bestseller lists of Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. She is also the screenwriter and executive producer of the independent film The stepsShe lives in Vancouver, BC with her family and two sweet but deadly rescued Chihuahuas.