Constructing Identities with SJ Sindu

On this week’s episode Bethanne sits down with author S.J. Sindu to discuss gender queerness and the importance of defining such a term, especially in the political environment of today. SJ’s newest book, Tall Water will be released in August of 2025 by HarperCollins.

Should Revolutionary Road be kicked to the curb? Or should Richard Yates’ book be able to live in the canon? Bethanne believes it is ‘a perfect novel’, but can she convince you listeners as well?

Can Bethanne beat the clock? She gives us 6 Recs for our To Be Read lists. Titles include Devil is Fine by John Vercher, Self Made by Tara Isabella Burton, The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen, Orlando by Virginia Woolf, Fairest by Meredith Talusan, and Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler.

Find Bethanne on X, Substack, Instagram, and Threads.

The Book Maven: A Literary Revue is hosted by Bethanne Patrick, produced by Christina McBride, and engineered by Jordan Aaron, with help from Lauren Stack.

All titles mentioned: Tall Water by SJ Sindu,

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone,

The Language of Remembering by Patrick Holloway,

Assignment in Brittany by Helen MacInnes,

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck,

The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher,

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine,

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters,

The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels,

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo,

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates,

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy,

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez,

Devil is Fine by John Vercher,

Self Made by Tara Isabella Burton,

The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen,

Orlando by Virginia Woolf,

Fairest by Meredith Talusan,

Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler,

I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante.

Transcript:

Welcome to season two of The Book Maven, a literary review. This season, we'll talk to leading authors, dig into the classics to decide which should stay in the literary canon, and I'll recommend some of my favorite books to you. We'll have all that and more in this episode. But first!

This week, I talked to SJ Sindu about their new book Tall Water. Join us as we talk about gender queerness and the importance of defining such a term.

BP: So, did you grow up in Massachusetts, correct?

SS: Partly. I partly grew up in Sri Lanka, then I moved to Massachusetts and moved around Massachusetts quite