Curtis Sittenfeld has made a name for herself as one of America’s most exciting writers and her novels Prep, American Wife and Rodham have been hailed as modern classics. Her latest novel, Romantic Comedy, follows a scriptwriter who has given up on romance with Sittenfeld's trademark warmth and intelligence. In this episode, she speaks to Esme Bright about the pitfalls and pleasures of romantic comedies, celebrity obsession in the US, why everyone wants to be the main character on TikTok, and what separates cheese from romance.

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