Harlan Coben reveals Run Away was actually based on his own daughter’s ‘misbehaviour’

In Harlan Coben’s Run Away, the character of Simon Nesbitt sets out to search for his daughter Paige, after noticing her vulnerable and addicted to drugs while she is busking in a city park.

Netflix’s series adaptation of the hit thriller has been out for a week now, but does Harlan Coben real life share anything in common with Simon’s story?

While Harlan Coben’s real experiences are hardly as dramatic as Simon’s, he has confirmed that Run Away was inspired by an incident with his own daughter, Charlotte. 

How was Run Away inspired by Harlan Coben’s real daughter?

via Netflix

Speaking out ahead of the Netflix series release, he said: “You may have noticed the associate producer Charlotte Coben on there [the credits] and I think she wrote two of the episodes.

“I found some drug paraphernalia in her room when she was a teenager. It was a little bit of cannabis but she swears it was her friend’s pipe, not hers! And of course, my mind spiralled, that’s what it does”. 

Harlan was initially struggling with how to begin the story of Run Away. But, while sitting in Central Park in Strawberry Fields, he noticed a busker playing a John Lennon song.

He asked himself: “What if that’s the missing daughter?”, and that was “the seed that started this show”. 

Most Read

Prepare to be horrified: Gay twins reveal what they actually do to each other for OnlyFans

As people lose their minds over secret Stranger Things episode, Netflix drops new trailer

It’s 7th January, so is a secret Stranger Things episode coming today?! Here’s the answer

That moment inspired the scene in episode one when Simon approaches his daughter Paige when she is playing guitar in the park. When she runs away, Simon chases after her daughter and ends up in a violent conflict with her boyfriend, Aaron.

Commenting on Charlotte’s role in inspiring the story, Harlan said “I thank my daughter for misbehaving a little bit”. 

So, while Run Away is not entirely based on a true story, Harlan Coben’s own experience as a father does play an important role in the narrative. 

For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image via Netflix