Photo courtesy of unreal via Gratis Graphics.
By Honora Quinn ʼ27
Staff Writer
The spy thriller novel “Argylle,” written under the pseudonym Elly Conway and released last month by Penguin Random House, has been a large talking point across both Bookstagram and general fan internet spaces. While the real writers of “Argylle” might not be Taylor Swift, to the chagrin of many fans, their names do begin with T. Sorry Swifties!
As previously reported by Mount Holyoke News, the novel “Argylle” was written by anonymous authors using the pseudonym Elly Conway. The most prominent theory on the debut author’s true identity was that singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was the creative power behind the book. As of Feb. 2, this has officially been proven false. So, who are the two people behind it all?
An interview with the Telegraph tore off the mask to reveal the mysterious writers Tammy Cohen and Terry Hayes. Cohen and Hayes are authors who have both made individual names for themselves in the thriller writing game and have become the dynamic duo behind one of the most talked-about books of the winter season — all in their first collaboration.
Hayes, perhaps best known for his debut novel “I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller” and his screenwriting efforts in the “Mad Max” film franchise, returned to novels last year both with “Argylle” and his own “The Year of The Locust.” On the other hand, Cohen has written 12 novels across three different names, mostly sticking to the thriller genre. As theorized, the person or people behind “Argylle” had to be established enough for a Big Five publisher like Penguin Random House to take a chance on them, and these writers definitely are. That, combined with director Matthew Vaughn’s interest in Hayes’ debut novel, created the perfect storm for this project.
How do we know this, you may ask?
It all started on “Elly Conway’s” Instagram page, where the brunt of Taylor Swift theories were generated.
Four days ago, the account posted a photo of Terry Hayes’ debut novel “I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller” with the caption, “Going back to read Terry Hayes’ debut novel, so I’m fully booked for tonight.” This post alone was nothing really of note, yet it still led Taylor Swift fans to post theories in the comments.
Now that the news of Hayes and Cohen’s work has officially been released, the comments on “Elly Conway’s” Instagram page are still getting flooded, but are nowhere near as positive. On the same post, user @laney_world posted “‘Going back to read my own first novel’ doesn’t that feel a bit arrogant? Especially after intentionally deceiving people?”
In the Telegraph article, Cohen, who has a record of using pen names of her own, did have some words to say on the matter: “God, I hope all the people that pre-ordered on the basis that Taylor wrote it aren’t disappointed,” she said.
It was never confirmed that Taylor Swift was involved with the novel; however, some fans were still left disappointed at the reveal. The book is resting between a 3.4 and 3.9 out of 5 stars across Amazon and Goodreads. The audiobook is a bestseller in the very niche category “Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-In Fiction.”
Time will tell how this release has impacted publishing, if more of these ‘in universe’ — as the novel “Argylle” for sale is theoretically the same story as seen in the eponymous movie version and is not an adaptation of the film) or direct tie-in projects will get produced or potentially as wide publicity.
While the mystery of the real Elly Conway has been finally solved, both the novel “Argylle” by Cohen and Hayes and its film adaptation are currently out, with the film being screened at South Hadley’s own Tower Theater.