The New Yorker: Fiction cover image

The New Yorker: Fiction

Ayşegül Savaş Reads Tessa Hadley

Dec 1, 2024
Ayşegül Savaş, a talented author known for her novels and essays, joins for a deep dive into Tessa Hadley's 'An Abduction.' They explore the emotional intricacies of teenage identity, focusing on the protagonist Jane's struggles between childhood freedom and adult expectations. Their discussion highlights the impact of neglect and societal pressures, alongside the contrast between imagined realities and lived experiences. The conversation also emphasizes how language shapes memory and identity, enriching the narrative's emotional depth.
01:24:40

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The podcast explores Jane Alsop's abduction as a metaphor for invisibility, highlighting her emotional neglect and longing for acknowledgment.
  • Tessa Hadley's narrative style effectively captures the disparity between characters' inner lives and external perceptions, particularly through Jane’s experiences.

Deep dives

The Abduction and Its Implications

The story begins with Jane Alsop's abduction at 15, framed as a significant yet unnoticed event in her life. Rather than being a typical dramatic scenario, her experience serves to highlight the broader theme of invisibility in her life, as it seems the greater drama goes unrecognized. This establishes the sense of longing and the emotional stakes for Jane, who is caught in a world where her reality and desires are dismissed. The label of being 'abducted' contrasts sharply with the absence of actual danger, focusing instead on the emotional implications of her neglect.

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