In this episode we sit down with Eskor David Johnson, the Trinidad and Tobago author, to discuss his debut novel, Pay As You Go.

Pay As You Go has been labeled as "magical realism" by fans, a "Mock epic" by author and Penguin press editor Ed Park, and is one of our favorite books of the year.

Whether you see it as a coming of age story, a hero's journey, or something else entirely, Pay As You Go is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers due to its fantastic storytelling, loveable and ridiculous characters, and a humanistic element we can all relate to.

On top of discussing Pay As You Go, we also ask Eskor about his writing process, his time at the Iowa writers workshop MFA program, his love of photography and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and so much more.

This was hands down one of our favorite episodes to date, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it!

Books mentioned in this podcast:

Pay as you Go by Eskor David Johnson

https://amzn.to/3v3BJBn

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

https://amzn.to/3TuHSkk

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

https://amzn.to/3GP4Evy

JR by William Gaddis

https://amzn.to/4aEMvyv

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa

https://amzn.to/3RrqXMJ

The Hospital by Amhed Bounani

https://amzn.to/3GP2U5C

Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie

https://amzn.to/3Ny0ewW

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

https://amzn.to/41BtRmY

Tinkers by Paul Harding

https://amzn.to/47bswUS

A house for Mr. Biswas by VS Naipaul

https://amzn.to/3ROqyWc

Miguel’s Street by VS Naipaul

https://amzn.to/3tiJ1AT

Speedboat by Renata Adler

https://www.amazon.com/Speedboat-NYRB-Classics-Renata-Adler/dp/1590176138?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703093985&sr=1-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=theonlife-20&linkId=9c4d8554c1502c371b3b885db80ba5ea&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

The Adventures and misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis

https://amzn.to/3REvr2W

My Brilliant Friends by Eleana Ferrante

https://amzn.to/3Hbq1Yp

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

https://amzn.to/3Rz9MZE

The collected Fictions of Luis Borges translated by Andrew Hurley

https://amzn.to/3GUtdaB

Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond

https://amzn.to/3GOWgMP

Evicted by Matthew Desmond

https://amzn.to/3RNJIeG