Jesse Q. Sutanto

Chinese-Indonesian writer

Jesse Q Sutanto

Education	University of Oxford (MFA, 2009)
Occupation	Author
Notable work	Dial A for Aunties (2021)
Awards	Comedy Women in Print Prize (2021)

Jesse Q. Sutanto is a Chinese-Indonesian author. As of 2023, she has published nine novels for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers. She is most famous for her novel Dial A for Aunties, which won the 2021 Comedy Women in Print Prize and has been optioned for a film by Netflix.

Personal life

Sutanto grew up in a Chinese-Indonesian family, living in Singapore, Indonesia, and Oxford.^[1] She speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, and English with her family.^[1] She currently lives in Jakarta with her husband, who is English, and their two daughters.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Writing career

Sutanto received her MFA in creative writing from Oxford University in 2009 and has been writing ever since.^[4]^[5] She published her first book in 2021 and as of 2023, she has published nine books for readers of all ages.

Dial A for Aunties

In 2021, Sutanto published her hit novel, Dial A for Aunties. For this book, Sutanto became the first writer of colour to win the United Kingdom's Comedy Women in Print Prize.^[1] The novel, which is a blend of romantic comedy and murder mystery, features Chinese-Indonesian culture through the lens of a girl, her mother and four aunts.^[6]

In 2020, before Dial A for Aunties was even published, the film rights were bought by Netflix as a result of a bidding war.^[7]^[5] Nahnatchka Khan and Chloe Yellin will adapt the novel into a film.^[8] Khan was set to direct the project.^[7]^[5] Sutanto will executive produce the film.^[7]

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

In 2023, the rights for Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers were acquired by Warner Bros. TV for the production of a series adaptation.^[8] Mindy Kaling‘s Kaling International and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films are set to produce the project.^[9]

Published works

Dial A for Aunties (2021)
The Obsession (2021)
Four Aunties and a Wedding (2022) (sequel to Dial A for Aunties)
The New Girl (2022)
Well, That Was Unexpected (2022)
Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit (2022)
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (2023)^[10]^[11]
I'm Not Done With You Yet (2023)
Theo Tan and the Iron Fan (2023)
Didn't See That Coming (2023) (sequel to Well, That Was Unexpected)
The Good, the Bad and the Aunties (2024)
You Will Never Be Me (to be published in 2024)
Vera Wong's Guide to Dating a Dead Man (to be published in 2025)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Watkins, Emily (9 November 2021). "Jesse Sutanto: 'I'm grateful to women of colour who paved the way'". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ Flood, Alison (8 November 2021). "'Delicious caper' by Jesse Sutanto wins Comedy women in print award". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ "On murderous blind dates and aiming low as a writer: Jesse Q. Sutanto's literary voice". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ Shoenberger, Elisa (15 November 2022). "Where To Get Started Reading Jesse Q. Sutanto's Books". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kit, Borys (18 June 2020). "Nahnatchka Khan, Netflix Team for Romantic Comedy 'Dial A for Aunties' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ "'Well, That Was Unexpected': A novel filled with charm, wit and growing pains". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "How Asian film is making moves to take over from Hollywood". BBC News. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b Campione, Katie (10 April 2023). "Mindy Kaling & Oprah Winfrey's Harpo To Develop Series Adaptation Of 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers' With Warner Bros TV". Deadline. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
^ Bell, BreAnna (10 April 2023). "Warner Bros. TV Acquires Jesse Q. Sutanto's 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers,' Harpo Films and Kaling International to Produce". Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
^ Maxi Duncan. "'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers' Review: A Refreshing Take on the Female Sleuth". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
^ Sutanto, Jesse Q., Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders Narrated by Eunice Wong. Books on Tape.(2024). 2024 RUSA Listen List Revealed. American Library Association, January 20, 2024.