From Jakarta to Bestseller
Jesse Sutanto, a luminary in both children’s and adult literature, weaves narratives that resonate with humour, mystery, and familial depth. Raised in Indonesia and Singapore, she brings a rich cultural tapestry to her storytelling, now based in Jakarta with her family. In an exclusive interview with Reader’s House magazine, Jesse shares her journey from a crisis-ridden undergrad to a Master’s graduate from the University of Oxford, where she found solace and purpose in the realm of creative writing.
Dial A for Aunties, Jesse’s debut novel, stands as a testament to her ingenuity, blending humour and mystery with familial drama. Delving into the inspiration behind this acclaimed work, Jesse reveals a personal connection—a desire to explore her own family dynamics but with a twist that lends the necessary distance for creative exploration. It’s this infusion of personal experience that infuses her work with authenticity and relatability.
Her background in film and television production adds another layer to her storytelling. While Jesse humbly dismisses her lack of hands-on production experience, she admits to crafting her novels with a cinematic lens. Her stories unfold like scenes in a movie, a testament to her visual storytelling prowess.
Excitingly, Dial A for Aunties has been optioned for adaptation into a Netflix movie, marking a significant milestone in Jesse’s career. As the screenwriter crafts the adaptation, Jesse’s input ensures cultural nuances are authentically captured—a testament to her dedication to representation and authenticity.
Looking ahead, Jesse tantalizes readers with upcoming releases, including the much-anticipated final instalment of the Aunties series, The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties, alongside a dark suspense thriller, You Will Never Be Me. With each new work, Jesse continues to push boundaries, offering readers fresh perspectives and thrilling narratives that captivate and entertain.
In her work, Jesse Sutanto seamlessly blends humour, mystery, and cultural insight, leaving an indelible mark on literature. As her journey unfolds, readers eagerly anticipate the next chapter in her literary odyssey.
What inspired you to become a writer, and how did you embark on your journey as an author?
The honest answer is I had a bit of a crisis on the last year of my undergrad studies when I realized I was very much not ready for “the real world.” I decided to apply to graduate programs and was accepted to the Masters in Creative Writing program at Oxford, which is honestly still very surreal to me!
Your debut novel, Dial A for Aunties, has garnered widespread acclaim. Can you share the inspiration behind the story and its unique blend of humour and mystery?
I’ve always wanted to write about my family, but whenever I tried writing about them, the drama had always hit too close to home, so I shelved the idea for a long while. Then one day, I thought: What if I threw a dead body into the story? And somehow, that gave me enough distance from the characters to really dive into it. It was the most natural I’ve felt writing a book. Whenever I got stuck in a scene, I’d think: What would my parents do? What would my aunts and uncles do? And it all would just start flowing.
Family dynamics play a significant role in your work, what draws you to explore these themes, and how do you approach portraying familial relationships in your writing?
I think I’m always drawn to family dynamics because in my culture, we are extremely close to our families, to the point where, when I lived abroad, I found that people often had a hard time understanding how close-knit we are. There is so much meddling and so much influence within our families and I’ve always struggled to explain it to others. So with the Aunties books, I knew that family was going to be the biggest theme and I really wanted to just share my family with the world, and that is what I’ve done.
Your background in film and television production is intriguing. How has this experience influenced your approach to storytelling in your novels?
Well I haven’t had any actual experience producing yet, haha! I’ve been lucky enough to sell the options to my books, but we haven’t gone into production yet, but I will say that I always think about my books as movies as I write them. I envision myself sitting in the cinema, enjoying a show, and I ask myself: “What do I want to see on the screen right now?” and that’s how I plan my scenes.
Dial A for Aunties has been optioned for adaptation into a television series. Can you tell us more about this exciting development and your involvement in the project?
It’s actually been optioned by Netflix into a movie. They’ve hired a screenwriter who is working on the screen adaptation right now and it’s been such an amazing process because she often emails me with questions like: “What do moms usually call their kids in Indonesian or Mandarin, what’s a word that’s similar to ‘Honey’ or ‘Dear’?” And I just can’t wait to see the screenplay!
You have some exciting upcoming novels this year? Can you tell us about them? What can readers expect from these books, and how do they differ from your previous work?
The third and final instalment in the Aunties series is coming out this month. It’s called The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties, and it’s such a bittersweet moment for me. Dial A for Aunties changed my life, no exaggeration, and I’m so grateful to be able to turn it into a trilogy. Later in the year, I have a dark suspense thriller coming out, called You Will Never Be Me, and it’s a book about toxic mom influencers which my editor described as “completely bonkers,” so I can’t wait to have that come out into the world.
