Episode Overview

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode: Get Lit Preview: Susan Choi on 'Flashlight'
Date: November 10, 2025

This episode introduces the All Of It book club’s latest pick, "Flashlight" by Susan Choi—a Booker Prize finalist set in Japan, centered on a mysterious family tragedy. Choi joins Alison Stewart to discuss the novel’s origins, expansive structure, complex characters, and themes of identity and resilience. The conversation is engaging, insightful, and peppered with humor and candor, delving into Choi’s writing process, creative inspiration, and the significance of names and objects within the book.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin and Inspiration for "Flashlight"

• Childhood Experience as Spark:

  • Choi reveals the initial inspiration stemmed from her own time in Japan as a child, although the events of the novel are fictional (03:00).
  • “The first idea came a long, long time ago, but I couldn't figure out how to make it into writing... I always wanted to write about it.” – Susan Choi (03:02)

• Historical Resonance:

  • The narrative was influenced by unexplained real-life events in Japan during the late 1970s, coinciding with Choi’s childhood there.

2. Evolving a Short Story into a Novel

• Intended Novella, Unintended Epic:

  • The novel grew far beyond the length Choi anticipated, despite her aim for a lean novella inspired by Jenny Erpenbeck's "Visitation".
  • “I failed. There was a book... that is just an incredible book... I thought, ooh, I'm gonna do that. And the result is, like, the longest book I've ever published.” – Susan Choi (03:57)

• Cultural Depth Demanded Expansion:

  • Writing about East Asian history for Western readers required more context than a concise form could support.
  • “There’s a lot of aspects of this that just aren't known... to the reading public that I'm writing for, not that well known. So that just didn't allow for this short book that I imagined.” – Susan Choi (04:43)

3. The Editing and Layering Process

• Filling Narrative Gaps:

  • Significant additions were suggested by her editor, especially deepening the background of Cirque, a central character of Korean descent in Japan.
  • “The draft was complete enough that it showed me all the incomplete places, you know what I mean?... One of the big holes was Sirk himself, his background.” – Susan Choi (06:12)

• Late Additions:

  • The opening chapter, focusing on Sirk’s background, was one of the last parts written.

4. Characterization: Louisa and Emotional Barriers

• Louisa’s Mistrust and Desire for Connection:
  • Opening scenes show Louisa at a "talking doctor," unwilling to open up due to mistrust of adults.
  • “Grownups are just, you know, what is up with them? ... But even in the course of a pretty short scene, she opens up... She so desperately wants to connect with somebody.” – Susan Choi (07:38-08:06)

5. Significance of the Flashlight

• Plot Device and Subconscious Symbol:

  • Louisa’s theft of a flashlight in the doctor’s office is a small but symbolically potent act.
  • Choi explains the flashlight’s metaphorical weight was unplanned, arising organically through the writing process.
  • “I don't plan, like, metaphors or themes or, like, symbols... The flashlight is... a big example of that, where I don't really remember making the decision.” – Susan Choi (08:38)

• Emergent Symbolism:

  • Only after much revision—and even after publication—did Choi realize the flashlight’s broader metaphorical resonance.

6. Creativity, Symbols, and the Writer’s Mind

• Organic Creation:
  • Choi and Stewart discuss how creative minds pull unexpected elements together, sometimes subconsciously.
  • “I have a writer's mind that is smarter than me, thank God. And I think it pulls things together that my conscious kind of analytical mind doesn't even recognize as working well until a lot later, if ever.” – Susan Choi (10:38-11:03)

7. Family and Identity: Names as Lived Experience

• Cirque’s Shifting Names:

  • The protagonist’s father cycles through multiple names—Korean, Japanese, and Americanized versions—mirroring his own migration and assimilation journey.
  • “The first choice isn't a choice... He has to have a Japanese name... Later... he changes the name to make it easier... It was a little bit of a tribute to my own family's immigration story.” – Susan Choi (11:41-13:50)

• Author’s Personal Connection:

  • Choi connects Cirque’s name changes to her own family’s experience of anglicizing names for American life.

8. The Core of "Flashlight": Family

• Family at the Heart:
  • Choi affirms the story’s fundamental focus is on family, particularly its resilience amid catastrophe.
  • “I wanted it to be a family story. For a long time, I only knew that it was about a family... that gets even smaller due to a catastrophe.” – Susan Choi (13:53-14:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Writing Unplanned Symbols:

  • “Did F. Scott Fitzgerald, like, plan on that green light?... I don’t know how to do that.” – Susan Choi (09:22)

• On Integration of Experience and Creativity:

  • “I once wrote an essay describing my own creative process as kind of like a murky pond full of, like, a bunch of stuff. And, like, writing kind of stirs it up and things rise to the surface. You don’t really know why.” – Susan Choi (10:02-10:20)

• On Character Reception (Louisa):

  • “My mom read the book and stuff like to say about Louisa. She was like, well, she's so obnoxious.” – Susan Choi (11:09)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Episode Overview & Introduction: 00:09–02:36
• Susan Choi on Inspiration and Writing Process: 03:00–06:02
• Layering/Editing the Novel: 06:02–07:19
• Character Analysis – Louisa: 07:19–08:24
• The Flashlight as Symbol: 08:24–11:03
• Naming and Identity Themes: 11:31–13:50
• The Novel as a Family Story: 13:50–14:14

Conclusion

This episode offers a rich, revealing conversation with Susan Choi about "Flashlight," touching on the author’s personal history, writing inspirations, and the organic evolution of story and symbolism. Choi’s insights bring depth to themes of family, culture, and the search for belonging, making this episode a rewarding listen—and a perfect primer for readers joining the All Of It book club event.