Welcome to Encore on Binge Reading, the show where we invite back authors who've already been on The Joys of Binge Reading to talk about their latest book.
Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and today on the show we have Canadian romcom author Roselle Lim. talking about her latest magical story of love, Sophie Go's Lonely Hear4ts Club.
Links to books mentioned in the show:
Roselle's first Joys of Binge Reading episode - one of the "Best of 2021"
listen to roselle lim's first show
Books recommended by Roselle:
For Twice In My Life by Annette Christie https://www.amazon.com/For-Twice-in-My-Life/dp/B0B836CMVK/
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard: https://www.amazon.com/Luminaries-Susan-Dennard/dp/1250194040
Where to find Roselle on line:
Website: Rosellelim.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosellewriter/
Twitter: @RoselleLimwriter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54019924
But before we get to Roselle, as usual, we've got a giveaway for our listeners, 10 free copies this week of Sadie’s Vow, the first book in my new Home At Last series.
I love Sadie as a character for her staunch loyalty to her dying mother's wishes.... even when it seems to be working against her self interest...
get sadie's vow
And don't forget. If you like what you hear, leave your comments wherever you listen to your audio so others can hear about us too.
Introducing romcom author Roselle Lim
But now here's Roselle.
Romcom author Roselle Lim
Jenny Wheeler: So welcome to the show, Roselle. It's wonderful to have you back with us. You were last on Binge Reading in February, 2021, with a fabulous romcom called Vanessa Lu's Magical Paris Tea Shop.
It featured in the Best of the 2021 books for the year and that was terrific. That was only your second novel, so it wasn't as if you had a great series behind you.
Now this new book is Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club, and it continues that romcom theme of Canadian Chinese girl finding her way in life and getting herself established.
Sophie is a newly minted professional matchmaker with a rather overpowering mom. It’s located in Toronto, and I wondered what was the biggest challenge for you in writing the story?
Roselle Lim: The biggest challenge for me? Well, first of all, the book is a retelling, a loose retelling, of the Snow White fairy tale.
So in the fairy tale you do have that evil stepmother, right? And in this one for me it is portraying to me a realistic version of what it is like when you are suffering from emotional abuse from a parent, or this case both parents.
A picture of family emotional abuse
Jenny Wheeler: Yes, because the father in the story is very much overpowered by the mother. He is more interested in placating his wife than in looking after his daughter's interests, isn't he?
Roselle Lim: Yes, he's very much the enabler, a common formula or a dynamic when that kind of abuse happens in the family.
Jenny Wheeler: Interesting that you drew on the fairy tale aspect, because your work is often referred to as magical realism. How close do you think you are to that description of magical realism?
Roselle Lim: I wanted to imbue magic as an ordinary magic into this and in Sophie in particular. It's about the red threads and being able to see them and how they link people together.
This is how soulmates are viewed by Sophie and by the reader. I like having the subtle magic in there. And I think for magical realism, there is a cultural cornerstone to it. I believe I've established that. with my Chinese culture as the back.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes, she's desperate to prove herself and earn a living as a matchmaker so she doesn't have to return to living with her parents.
In desperation she takes on a group of elderly gents as possible candidates for matchmaking because she just wants to develop a back list of people who've used her services and can give her a good report.
...