In this episode we sit down with Eskor David Johnson, the Trinidad and Tobago author, to discuss his debut novel, Pay As You Go. Pay As You Go has been labeled as "magical realism" by fans, a "Mock epic" by author and Penguin press editor Ed Park, and is one of our favorite books of the year. Whether you see it as a coming of age story, a hero's journey, or something else entirely, Pay As You Go is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers due to its fantastic storytelling, loveable and ridiculous characters, and a humanistic element we can all relate to. On top of discussing Pay As You Go, we also ask Eskor about his writing process, his time at the Iowa writers workshop MFA program, his love of photography and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and so much more. This was hands down one of our favorite episodes to date, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it! Books mentioned in this podcast: Pay as you Go by Eskor David Johnson https://amzn.to/3v3BJBn The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz https://amzn.to/3TuHSkk 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez https://amzn.to/3GP4Evy JR by William Gaddis https://amzn.to/4aEMvyv Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa https://amzn.to/3RrqXMJ The Hospital by Amhed Bounani https://amzn.to/3GP2U5C Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie https://amzn.to/3Ny0ewW The Shipping News by Annie Proulx https://amzn.to/41BtRmY Tinkers by Paul Harding https://amzn.to/47bswUS A house for Mr. Biswas by VS Naipaul https://amzn.to/3ROqyWc Miguel’s Street by VS Naipaul https://amzn.to/3tiJ1AT Speedboat by Renata Adler https://www.amazon.com/Speedboat-NYRB-Classics-Renata-Adler/dp/1590176138?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703093985&sr=1-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=theonlife-20&linkId=9c4d8554c1502c371b3b885db80ba5ea&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl The Adventures and misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis https://amzn.to/3REvr2W My Brilliant Friends by Eleana Ferrante https://amzn.to/3Hbq1Yp Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy https://amzn.to/3Rz9MZE The collected Fictions of Luis Borges translated by Andrew Hurley https://amzn.to/3GUtdaB Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond https://amzn.to/3GOWgMP Evicted by Matthew Desmond https://amzn.to/3RNJIeG

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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