Isolationcast #20: Frances Cha on quarantine in Korea, how teaching has made her a better writer, and taking 10 years to write a novel

The Sunday Salon with Alice-Azania Jarvis

This conversation was utterly fascinating. As you know, I've been asking all my guests for a few of their isolation stories. Well, today's guest has a particularly interesting tale. After going through New York's long and grueling lockdown, Frances Cha has moved to South Korea, where she always spends the summer, and had a very different experience. It was absolutely riveting to hear about.

Of course we discussed lots else - not least her dazzling debut novel If I Had Your Face which explores, among other things, South Korea's huge plastic surgery industry and highly stratified society. And we discussed how teaching helps her writers block, her long journey to publication - and why sometimes the best writing is painful.

Instagram: @aliceazania / @franceschawrites

Twitter: @aliceazania / @Frances_H_Cha

Buy the book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/if-i-had-your-face/frances-cha/9780241396070

Edited by Chelsey Moore