Episode 266 with Lydia Kiesling, Author of Mobility and Keen Observer and Reflection-Inducing Craftswoman of Psychological and Geopolitical Storylines with Unforgettable Characters

Notes and Links to Lydia Kiesling’s Work

   Lydia Kiesling is a novelist and culture writer. Her first novel, The Golden State, was a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her second novel, Mobility, a national bestseller, was named a best book of 2023 by Vulture, Time, and NPR, among others. It was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her essays and nonfiction have been published in outlets including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker online, and The Cut. Contact her at lydiakiesling@gmail.com.

Buy Mobility

Lydia Kiesling's Website

Lydia’s Wikipedia Page

Alta Online Book Review for Mobility

At about 1:35, Lydia gives out contact information and social media information, as well as places 

At about 4:10, “Return of the Mack” as an “eternal jam” is highlighted in the book

At about 5:40, Lydia talks about her reading life and how it connected to her “cusp generation” and her time as a “foreign service brat”

At about 9:50, Lydia talks about her experience reading Joyce Carol Oates, for whom an award is named that Lydia was longlisted for, and Pete compares the narrator, Bunny, and her situation in Mobility to iconic characters from “Where are you going, Where have you been?” and “In the Land of Men”

At about 11:30, Lydia recounts interesting parts of her life in boarding school and how it shaped her

At about 15:20, Lydia discusses the reading life fostered through memorable English classes in boarding school

At about 21:15, Lydia highlights the ways in which her life as a writer developed, including early work in the blog era and a great opportunity from The Millions

At about 26:00, Lydia shouts out contemporary writers who thrill and inspire, including Jenny Erpenbeck and Bruna Dantas Lobato

At about 30:55, Lyda responds to Pete’s questions about the ways in which Lydia’s history as a “diplomat brat” has affected her view of the US

At about 34:45, The two discuss seeds for the book and the importance of the book’s concise epigraph 

At about 37:25, Lydia highlights The Oil and the Glory as inspiration for the book

At about 40:45, Pete lays out part of the book’s exposition and underscores the importance of the book’s first scene and use of oil prices to mark each year 

At about 42:30, Lydia responds to Pete asking about the draw of Eddie and Charlie and the older men/boys

At about 43:55, Pete quotes Mario Puzo in relating to “men doing what they do when they’re away from home” and Lyda builds on it when talking about Baku and the things and people that came with oil drilling

At about 45:00, Lydia gives background of the soap opera referenced in the book as she and Pete further discuss important early characters

At about 47:40, Lydia explains the background and significance of a ring that Bunny covets that says “I respond to whoever touches me”

At about 51:00, Pete recounts some of the plot involving Bunny’s return to the US and Texas and asks Lydia about the intentions of her mentor, Phil

At about 53:20, Lydia expands on the “weird current” that comes with being a young woman/woman in a male-dominated world

At about 54:40, Pete and Lydia discuss the manner in which Bunny and so many in our society choose to look away when faced with the evils of capitalism, oil, war, etc. 

At about 58:15, Lydia emphasizes the ways in which story and narrative govern so much of the way politics and business work

At about 59:40, The two discuss Bunny as a nominal liberal 

At about 1:01:15, Lydia responds to Pete’s question about any reasons for optimism in response to climate change

At about 1:04:00, The idea of “geologic time” as a negative and positive is discussed with regards to the environment and oil and positive change 

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      Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. This week, his conversation with Episode 255 guest Chris Knapp is up on the website. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.

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   Please tune in for Episode 267 with Keith O’Brien. He is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist who has written four books, been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and contributed to multiple publications over the years, including the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, and NPR. Kirkus Reviews hails his latest, Charlie Hustle, as a "masterpiece of a sports biography."

   The episode airs on December 24.

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