Book tour, affection, Good Morning America

5 Debut Things with Jemimah Wei

The Original Daughter has made quite the splash since it came out earlier this month—the novel is Good Morning America’s May book club pick, and Jemimah was named one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35.” The book paints a compelling portrait of two sisters, the love and competition that, at once, bind and repel them, and the life-altering force of celebrity.

Writing The Original Daughter taught Jemimah “to be more patient, to detach myself (quite painfully!) from the markers of achievement and success I grew up with.”

“I used to really beat myself up over not making narrative, story, or craft progress at what I’d assumed was a reasonable rate,” she said when we caught up amid her book tour, “but now, of course, I know that the book takes the time it takes. I learnt to mimic that kind of mental flexibility, I think, from one of my characters and her approach to resilience. I remember creating her personality and then thinking, well, that seems like a healthier way to live.”

I first became familiar with Jemimah’s work through No Contact, where we served as prose editors together. We caught up on what her debut experience has been like, and Jemimah shared insight, advice on the editorial process, and surprises from book tour.

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5 Debut Things

1. Feeling affection

I feel so much affection for the novel as a separate entity from myself, going into the world and doing her own thing, and I feel great affection for the younger version of myself who labored immensely through years of uncertainty and vulnerability to finish the book, even in the moments when writing forward felt impossible. And I feel enveloped in the affection of my friends, family, team, and community as I’ve gone through the different stages of bringing a debut into the world—I feel very lucky!

2. On the editorial process

Know that your relationship to the work is not empirically the same thing as the work itself. I think that it is immensely helpful for a writer, especially a debut writer, to work on interrogating and managing their relationship to writing throughout the whole process, so that they can approach the editorial process with calm precision, and not with panic, anxiety, or pride, all of which can affect the revisions and decisions you make on the page.

The Original Daughter, Doubleday, 2025

3. Book tour surprises

I met many readers who had followed my writing through the last decade—from online pieces to print stories—and who were excited to discuss their interpretations or thoughts about something I’d written ages ago with me, and readers who had managed to finish the novel in the short time since her release and wanted to talk about it. I knew, of course, that readers take a piece of writing into their minds and make it their own, but confronting the reality of how a fictive creation can evolve outside of your mind and be sustained through the interest and imaginations of readers was immensely moving to me.

4. On staying grounded

The love of my friends, husband, and family—I strongly believe that the psychological safety provided by the love in my relationships has enabled me to take huge risks in my art and life that I would otherwise feel intimidated to confront.

5. What you wished you’d known before launching a debut

This is a question I actually asked a bunch of my writer friends prior to the novel’s release, and I got such a trove of helpful advice that I felt pretty well prepared going into the process! One thing a friend told me that I will repeat here is that the writer actually has very little control over anything, and so to only commit to what you’ll feel proud of in the pre- and post-publication process. Knowing that there wasn’t much I could do that would impact the book either way really freed me up to enjoy the novel’s launch, and enjoy showing up for her wherever I could without anxiety or expectation.

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Lightning Round

Favorite book?

I reread Giovanni’s Room every year and am amazed anew each time.

Favorite album these days?

I have been loving Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Live at the Hollywood Bowl. I don’t often listen to albums start to finish—I tend to pick out one or two songs I really like and listen to that on repeat—but ever since Laufey’s Book Club namechecked The Original Daughter, I’ve been putting her album on whenever I have some sonically free time…

You’ve lived in several different cities—any favorite spots you want to shout out?

I love sitting by the water on Pier 16 or 17 in lower Manhattan. I spent a lot of time there when I first got to New York. In Singapore, I love walking or cycling by the sea, specifically near Pasir Ris Beach. And I would lose my mind every time I crossed the Bay Bridge or Richmond Bridge, and take a million photos and videos even though I have identical ones hogging my phone storage already. I’m very much someone who feels calmed by being near water bodies.

Best writing advice you’ve received?

“Nobody ever read a good book and thought, wow, I wish this came out last year.”

And worst?

“Maybe you should not write what you’re currently writing and try writing like [Insert commenter’s favorite author here] instead.”

Order The Original Daughter, follow Jemimah on Instagram and read more of her work here.

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Reference Section

• Catch Jemimah on Good Morning America here.

• I also reviewed the novel for Columbia Magazine if you want to read more.

• I have a couple of events coming up next month. I’ll be in dialogue with Paul Lisicky on June 4 at Mechanics’ Hall. This event is ticketed, and you can learn more here.

• I’ll also be chatting with Phil Melanson about his debut novel, Florenzer, at Print on June 17.

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