Hello, amazing fellow creatives! Here’s to more fun perusing the library’s new releases to see what strikes our fancy. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve retitled Story Cuppings to better fit the premise of the podcast.
As writers, we hear all the time that we’ve got to hook readers in just the first few pages or else. We’ve got to hook agents in the first few pages or else.
Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.
JEFF GERKE, THE FIRST 50 PAGES
Well then, let’s study those first few pages in other people’s stories, shall we?
Today I snagged from the New Release shelf:
Joan is Okay: A Novel by Weike Wang
The first pages of Joan is Okay by Weike Wang are unlike anything we’ve read on previous episodes of this podcast. We’re not diving into genre fiction here–no fantasy, no science fiction, no horror, etc. This is life, and it’s the life of an Asian American woman who is forced to take on the journey of grief by returning to China for her father’s funeral. What will you, fellow creatives, make of these first five pages? Let’s find out!
If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the podcast here.
The prose is sharp and cuts to the bone in its lack of emotion, which makes readers wonder just what the relationship between the narrator and her family had been. As one who also lost her father suddenly, the journey of grief is not an easy one to walk alone, so I am naturally drawn to Wang’s storytelling here. The blurbs on the back promise wit and humor, which I didn’t see in the opening pages, but I found the narrator’s fixation on the surface-level aspects of her coworkers rather intriguing. It makes me wonder just how well this narrator knows the people in her life–and how well she truly knows herself.
As always, I love hearing what’s on the shelves of your own libraries. Libraries Rock!
Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!
Jean Lee's World 
I love this series! I don’t go for the first 5 pages though, I give it until the 20% mark before I give up!
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Thank you so much! I totally get giving a story a bit more time to breathe; my attention span just doesn’t allow that for me, but I get it. 🙂
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I completely and respect that! I wish I had that energy too!
20% was hard for me to push myself too, because I keep forcing myself to read, I would love to be able to stop 5 pages in!
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Totally understandable. We’ve all got to have our limits somewhere! It sounds like if a story can’t pull of hooking readers after 20%, it’s probably not going to happen at all.
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Wow, the writing is sparse.
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She really does make every word count. It’s very impressive!
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Wouldn’t be drawn into this story, but I admire the way you open yourself to the oracular offers and surprises of the release shelf in your library. ☼
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Many thanks, my friend! It’s the connection of grief that really struck me here. I do wish my library would offer more genres, though SOMEone over there has been packing the New Release shelf with westerns lately…I may have to try one…
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Wow that feels such a different way of writing. Don’t laugh but I got my old Asterix books out and I’m rereading them xxxxxxx
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I think we could all use a hug from beloved old words, my friend. And virtual hugs from friends on the other side of the world! xxxxxxx
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I think I’d only read this in order to hitch a ride to Shanghai (if that is China’s 2nd city).
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I know the feeling–we all need that time to meld with a people that are not our own!
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Ach, five pages is just not enough time!
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It’s really tough to hold to it some days! xxxx
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Yes, and unfair, IMO, for books that take longer to roll out. ♥️
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