On this episode of Complicated Conversations, we chat with Jenny Xie, a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree about her debut novel, Holding Pattern, a hopeful novel about immigration and belonging, mother-daughter relationships, and the many ways we learn to hold each other.

We talk to Jenny about her protagonist, Kathleen, who is down on her luck and living back him with her mother; the ways the novel subverts traditional mother-daughter roles; how art imitated life and what Jenny’s experience as a professional cuddler taught her about intimacy and physical touch; how to get out of your head and into your body; the ways we can disappoint our parents by overachieving; and our shared interested in astrology as a prompt for discussion and exploration.

Holding Pattern is out now! Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to our spoiler-free chat wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices