Episode 173 with Rachel Heng, Gifted Storyteller, Master of the Emotional Storyline and Stirring Plot, and Author of the Instant Classic Saga, The Great Reclamation

Episode 173 Notes and Links to Rachel Heng’s Work

 

    On Episode 173 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes  Rachel Heng, and the two discuss, among other things, her love of reading and her early relationships with the written word and multilingualism, her research and the family stories concerning Singapore’s transformation and its history of ethnic diversity and kampong culture, the book’s “complications” concerning the ways in which “The Great Reclamation” played in on micro- and macro levels for the people of Singapore, her beautiful portrayals of change, grief, and guilt, and her inspirations for writing the book.

 

Rachel Heng is the author of the novels The Great Reclamation (Riverhead, 2023) and Suicide Club (Henry Holt, 2018), which has been translated into ten languages worldwide and won the Gladstone Library Writer-In-Residence Award. Rachel's short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney's Quarterly, One Story, Kenyon Review, and has been recognized by anthologies including Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions and Best New Singaporean Short Stories. She was recently longlisted for the 2021 Sunday Times Short Story Award, “the world’s richest and most prestigious prize for a single short story.” Her non-fiction has been listed among Best American Essays’ Notable Essays and published in Al Jazeera, Guernica, BOMB Magazine, The Rumpus and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Fine Arts Work Center and the National Arts Council of Singapore. Rachel received her MFA in Fiction and Playwriting from the Michener Center for Writers, UT Austin, and her BA in Comparative Literature & Society from Columbia University.

 

 

Buy The Great Reclamation

 

Rachel Heng's Webpage

 

Rachel Speaks about The Great Reclamation on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon

 

Oprah Daily Cover Reveal and Article about The Great Reclamation

 

 

At about 7:50, Rachel discusses her mindset and emotions as her book tour begins with a March 28 event with Kirstin Chen and the book is published on March 28 

 

At about 8:55, Pete asks about Rachel’s early relationship with the written word and multilingualism; Rachel talks about a heavy diet of British writers in school in Singapore and her route to becoming a writer

 

At about 12:40, Rachel discusses seeds for the book and research done for the book, including how the book came from a “curiosity to revisit that time” often referenced by older family members

 

At about 14:35, Rachel speaks to the ethnic makeup of Singapore, and how British colonialism affected Singapore’s ethnic history

 

At about 16:40, Pete reads the book’s epigraph and Rachel explains its connection to themes from the book, including Singapore’s look to the future

 

At about 19:10, The two characterize the Lee family 

 

At about 20:25, Pete cites the wonderful opening line of the book and asks Rachel about the meanings and personal significance of the kampong 

 

At about 23:55, Rachel expands upon ideas of the “kampong spirit” and the communal “national fabric” of Singapore for the duration of the book and now

 

At about 25:40, Pete wonders if there any connection between recent pushes toward MAGA and her book’s subject matter

 

At about 26:50, Pete and Rachel discuss Uncle’s character and sympathies for him

 

At about 27:25, The two lay out early events in the book with Ah Boon and family locating ethereal islands and Rachel gives background on how POV and a key throughline inspired the beginning of the book

 

At about 30:00, Pete talks about the slow inevitability of change in the book and asks Rachel about Pa’s parenting style

 

At about 31:40, Rachel gives background on Siok Mei, her family life, and what draws her and Ah Boon to each other

 

At about 33:55, Pete highlights the powerful and beautiful flashbacks in the book

 

At about 34:45, Pete cites Rachel’s skill with recognizable yet dynamic characters

 

At about 35:15, Pete quotes from the book to provide background on Ma and her marriage to Pa

 

At about 35:50, Pete and Rachel discuss the significance of the Japanese occupation in 1942 and its aftereffects

 

At about 38:30, Pete describes an important decision that Pa and Uncle are faced with during the Japanese occupation

 

At about 39:25, Pete and Rachel discuss “The Disappearing Years” and the post-war attitude exhibited by Ah Boon and Singaporeans 

 

At about 42:15, The two discuss student protests that came about when Siok Mei and Ah Boon reacted to the real-life controversial case involving Nadra

 

At about 44:30, Rachel talks about the “Gah Men” and the ways in which they acted and were perceived by the public

 

At about 46:45, Natalie is discussed as representative of the government, especially with regard to diction like “greater good,” and Rachel describes parts of Singaporean history as “complicated” and “an interesting case study” 

 

At about 50:20, Rachel talks about the environmental effects of The Great Reclamation 

 

At about 51:25, Class division is described as a book theme through an anecdote from Natalie

 

At about 52:30, Pete quotes government officials from the book and ideas of “greater good”

 

At about 53:00, Pete compliments Rachel’s depictions of grief and she speaks to inspirations for these depictions

 

At about 54:40, Rachel explains a quote of hers regarding her perspective in writing this book while living in the US

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  Please tune in for Episode 174, another episode dropping today, March 28, celebrating pub day for Allegra Hyde. 

Allegra Hyde is a recipient of three Pushcart Prizes and author of ELEUTHERIA, named a "Best Book of 2022" by The New Yorker. She’s also the author of the story collection, OF THIS NEW WORLD, which won the John Simmons Short Fiction Award, and her second story collection, THE LAST CATASTROPHE, is her new one.

The episode will go live around noon on March 28.