Welcome back to Book Chat, a new monthly books podcast brought to you by novelist Bobby Palmer and journalist Pandora Sykes, which does what it says on the tin: we each bring one book, and we chat. Our one rule? The books have to be more than 2 years old. NB: this is a meaty book chat, not a book review show, so if you have not yet read the books, there will be spoilers.

For our second episode, Pandora brings White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000) and Bobby, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (2016, trans. 2019). Both books were huge bestsellers and launched each woman as a "literary sensation". We discuss this tag as well as the books themselves: our favourite bits, how they've aged, and what we'd change.

Other books/ articles mentioned:

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

Darling by India Knight

On Beauty, NW, Intimations, Swing Time and Grand Union by Zadie Smith

Life Ceremony and Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

White Teeth seemed fresh and optimistic in 2000 - how does it read now? by Sam Jordison for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jul/14/white-teeth-2000-how-does-it-read-now-zadie-smith

Generation Why? by Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2010/11/25/generation-why/

In Defence of Fiction, by Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/10/24/zadie-smith-in-defense-of-fiction/

Zadie Smith interview: On Shame, Rage and Writing, for the Louisiana channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LREBOwjrrw

For Japanese novelist Sayaka Murata, odd is the new normal, by Motoko Rich for The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/books/japanese-novelist-sayaka-murata-convenience-store-woman.html

The future of sex lives in us all, by Sayaka Murata for The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/opinion/future-sex-society.html

A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham

Darling by India Knight

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

White Noise by Don DeLillo

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Luster by Raven Leilani

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

On Beauty, NW, Intimations, Swing Time and Grand Union by Zadie Smith

Earthlings and Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

You can get in touch [email protected].

Sound by Joel Grove and production by Pandora Sykes.

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