Welcome to episode 5! On the menu today is Memorial by Byran Washington, which just slips over our '2 years old' threshold - the hype is arguably still hyping - and The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, which was written 30 years ago and yet still, the hype hypes (StudioCanal just released a sparkly new version of the film.)

We discuss Memorial's literary take on the 'meet the parents' romcom, the 'traumedy' genre, and why Mitsuko is one of the best characters ever written; and why The Virgin Suicides' big themes - adolescent mental health, the male gaze, the American Dream - still feel as prescient today.

You can get in touch bookchatpod@gmail.com

Sound by Joel Grove and production by Pandora Sykes

Books/articles mentioned:

Memorial by Bryan Washington

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

White Noise by Don DeLillo

Memorial review by Maria Marchinkoski for The Harvard Review

Memorial review by Tash Aw for The TLS

Memorial review by Ron Charles for The Washington Post

Jeffrey Eugenides interview at The Strand bookstore

Does The Virgin Suicides still hold up 25 years later? By Emily Temple for LitHub

Pre-order Isaac and the Egg in paperback

Books for episode 6:

When I Hit You by Meena Kandasamy

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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