Ep. 88: Jesse Q Sutanto (Author of Dial A for Aunties) + Book Recommendations

Sarah's Bookshelves Live

Sarah Dickinson

Bookrecommendations, Bookpodcasts, Sarahsbookshelvespodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslivepodcast, Sarahsbookshelveslive, Bookpodcast, Literarypodcast, Whatshouldiread, Arts, Bookreviewpodcast, Reading, Readingpodcast, Books, Sarahsbookshelves

4.9 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2021

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Episode 88, Jesse Q. Sutanto (author of Dial A for Aunties) shares her family background, how she integrated it into her novel, and her family’s reaction to the book.

This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

Highlights

Jesse’s inspiration for Dial A for Aunties.
How Jesse managed to keep such an over-the-top plot out of eye-roll territory.
What a typical Indonesian-Chinese wedding is like (and some things Jesse did at her own wedding).
Why she included a letter to the reader explaining her personal background at the beginning of the book.
Her family’s reaction to the book (given it’s partially inspired by them).
If any of the real people characters in the book are based on have realized they’re “in the book.”
How Jesse has 4 new books coming out next year (including a sequel to Dial A for Aunties).
If Gillian Flynn has retired from writing books and how she feels about the term “domestic thriller.”

Jesse’s Book Recommendations [24:12]

Two OLD Books She Loves

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [25:14]
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [29:58]

Two NEW Books She Loves

The Girls are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [33:26]
The Other Black Girlby Zakiya Dalila Harris | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [35:57]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [38:29]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa (September 14, 2021) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [41:26]

Last 5 Star Book(s) Jesse Read [44:35]

Circe by Madeline Miller | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [44:35]

Other Books Mentioned

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto [2:02]
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini [30:06]
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini [30:42]
Take it Back by Kia Abdullah [43:48]

About Jesse

Website | Instagram

Jesse grew up going back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and consider both places my homes. She was fortunate enough to do my Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, which is surely one of the most gorgeous places in the world.

She’s passionate about women’s rights and diversity in publishing. She regularly does giveaways where she critiques queries or the first few pages, and she’s especially interested in helping writers from marginalized communities.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Sarah's Bookshelves Live. I'm Sarah of the blog Sarah's Bookshelves. Each week I'm
0:15.5	talking with one bookish guest about two old books they love, two new books they love, one book they don't love, and one new
0:22.7	release they're excited about. We're going to get real and sometimes a bit snarky about all things
0:28.3	books. If you like the show, I'd really love your support. Spread the word to your reader friends,
0:33.8	subscribe to the show, rate and review it wherever you listen to podcasts, or get bonus podcast episodes
0:40.8	by supporting the podcast on Patreon. There's a link in the show notes and in my Instagram bio to my
0:47.5	Patreon page. Let's get rolling. My guest today is Jesse Q. Soutanto, author of the debut adult novel Dial A for Aunties.
0:57.3	It's part romance, part murder caper, part large family story, all set amid a glitzy wedding
1:03.3	dominated by Murphy's Law. It's light, snarky, and completely over the top in a really
1:08.3	fun, cinematic way. Jesse grew up shuttling back and forth
1:11.9	between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a
1:17.8	master's from Oxford University. She has 42 first cousins and 30 aunties and uncles, many of whom
1:24.1	live just down the road, and this will come into play as we talk about the book in a
1:28.0	minute. She currently lives in Jakarta with her husband and two daughters, and she's joining us from
1:32.5	Jakarta today. Dial-A for Aunties is her debut adult novel. Welcome, Jessie. Hi, thank you so much for
1:39.4	having me. This book was such a fun read for me a couple months ago. I'd come off a string of fairly heavy books.
1:46.9	And this one I just flew through in, I think, a day and a half, which is pretty rare for me,
1:51.8	because I've got kids and, you know, all kinds of distractions. But it was such a nice,
1:57.6	refreshing break from real life. For those that haven't read it yet, can you tell us a little
2:04.5	bit about Dial A for Aunties without spoiling any of the major plot points? Sure. Dial A for
2:11.2	aunties is about a wedding photographer who gets set up on a blind date by her mom and her very meddlesome aunties.
2:21.7	And it turns out to be the blind date from hell and it goes really, really badly.
	...

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