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Apr 2023
52m 12s

Ep. 138: Rebecca Makkai (Author of I Hav...

SARAH DICKINSON | SARAH'S BOOKSHELVES
About this episode

In Episode 138, author Rebecca Makkai discusses I Have Some Questions for You, her latest novel that explores societal issues such as racism and wrongful incarceration through the lens of a crime story. This was a five-star book for me and looks to be *the book* of 2023 so far! Rebecca shared how she engaged with readers using click-bait style headlines and created a sense of intimacy through the second-person point of view. She also goes behind the scenes of how she pitches her new book ideas to her agent and publisher. Plus, Rebecca gives us her book recommendations!

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

Highlights

  • A spoiler-free glimpse into her latest book, I Have Some Questions for You.
  • What inspired her to start writing the book, including the initial wave of the #MeToo movement and the public's fascination with true crime.
  • Insider knowledge about when she shares her work with agents and publishers.
  • How she blended elements of crime within her literary fiction novel.
  • How she uses click-bait style headlines to draw readers in from the opening of the book and throughout the story.
  • Why Rebecca used the second-person point of view and how that created an intimate connection between readers and the protagonist.
  • How she used student testimony and gossip to shape the narrative and delve into issues such as racism, sexism, and abuse.
  • How she reconciled the viewpoints of the '90s with modern perspectives in her novel.
  • A sneak peek of what Rebecca has planned next, including a hint about her upcoming book, and learn about her 84 Books Project.

Rebecca's Book Recommendations [30:43]

Two OLD Books She Loves

Two NEW Books She Loves

A Book With Which She Has a Complicated Relationship

One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About

Last 5-Star Book Rebecca Read

Other Books Mentioned

About Rebecca Makkai

WebsiteTwitter | Instagram | Facebook | Substack

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the novels I Have Some Questions for YouThe Great BelieversThe Hundred-Year House, and The Borrower, and the story collection Music for Wartime. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, The Great Believers received an American Library Association Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among other honors, and was named one of the Ten Best Books of 2018 by The New York Times. A 202 Guggenheim fellow, Makkai is on the MFA faculties of the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe and Northwestern University, and is the artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago. She lives on the campus of the midwestern boarding school where her husband teaches, and in Vermont.

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