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cover of episode Susan Choi's 'Flashlight' is about an alternate-universe version of her own family

Susan Choi's 'Flashlight' is about an alternate-universe version of her own family

2025/6/12
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NPR's Book of the Day
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Susan Choi: 在《手电筒》中，我讲述了露易莎在经历失去父亲的悲剧后，与母亲关系疏远的故事。露易莎通过拒绝与人交往来掩饰内心的孤独，但她内心深处渴望被理解和关爱。故事也探讨了露易莎的父亲Cirque的身份背景，他是一个在日韩历史背景下长大的朝鲜族人，他的身份认同问题也影响了露易莎的成长。我希望通过露易莎的故事，展现她在面对失去、孤独和身份认同困境时，如何最终找到爱与平静。 Andrew Limbaugh: 《手电筒》的故事比蔡思果之前的作品《信任练习》更直接，但同样引人深思，讲述了一个家族跨越几代人的故事，涉及历史、战争、秘密和国界。蔡思果通过按时间顺序排列事件来整理《手电筒》中的复杂情节。

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Chapters
This introductory segment provides background on Susan Choi's previous work and introduces her new novel, 'Flashlight,' describing its themes and narrative approach. The episode also includes a brief mention of another NPR program.
  • Susan Choi's 'Trust Exercise' is compared to 'Flashlight'.
  • 'Flashlight' is described as a large-scale family drama involving history, war, secrets and borders.
  • The author's use of chronological order is highlighted.

Shownotes Transcript

A 10-year-old girl, Louisa, and her father take a walk on breakwater in Japan, where her family is living. Louisa is later found on a beach – her father has disappeared. She and her mother are left on their own – but the tragedy doesn't bring them closer together, at least for a long time. Susan Choi's new novel Flashlight follows this family across generations and a vast historical expanse. In today's episode, Choi speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about why her protagonist fends off love, her interest in the historical tensions between Korea and Japan, and the benefit of writing in chronological order.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayNotes: *include dig reviews; past books covered on NPR; any author profiles.*Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)