Cho, after all, is well-known for her fantasy and speculative fiction: most of her books, such as the novels “Sorcerer to the Crown” (2015), “The True Queen” (2019) and “Black Water Sister” (2021) have involved magic and otherworldly elements in one way or another.
In “The Friend Zone Experiment,” however, there doesn’t seem to be any magic in sight … except of course, the magic of romance.
“I’ve always liked romance! Most of my previous books have had quite strong romantic subplots. So this just seemed like a natural progression for me,” Cho, 38, told FMT Lifestyle during a recent interview.
Cho has won the prestigious Crawford, British Fantasy and Hugo Awards for her writing, as well as the LA Times Book Prize/Ray Bradbury Prize.
The Petaling Jaya-born author, who is now based in Birmingham, was recently in Malaysia to visit her parents, and made appearances at several literary experiments here.
According to Cho, she originally had plans for another fantasy work. Being cooped up at home during the pandemic, however, changed that.
Feeling bored, the author discovered the magic of Korean dramas: what she was most impressed with was their ability to blend diverse elements in a compelling way.
Inspired, Cho started what would become her fourth novel: she described its story as “a cross between K-drama ‘Crash Landing On You’ and the 1MDB saga’.”
“’Crash Landing On You’ is a rom-com, but it also has military thriller elements, and a corporate succession plot. It was such an interesting combination. A lot of my work also has cross-genre elements, so I fell very naturally into this,” she said.
Published by Pan Macmillan, her latest novel is the story of Renee Goh, a 30-year-old Singaporean who runs a glamorous women’s clothing store in London. Beneath her fanciful facade, however, Renee is disconnected from her family, and she has very little life outside the office.
Things take a turn after Renee learns her father is retiring: of all things, she is being considered as a successor to one of the most successful conglomerates in Southeast Asia. This puts her in competition, however, with her two estranged brothers.
Complicating matters is the sudden reappearance of Renee’s first love, the dashing Malaysian Yap Kok Siong. Sparks soon fly…but is there more on this man’s mind than just romance?
Writing “The Friend Zone Experiment” was quite an enjoyable experience for Cho. Renee, in particular, was fun to write about, with the author describing her as a powerful female character dealing with a lot of misogyny in her life.
Much of the novel centres around family dynamics and relationships, a recurring theme in many of Cho’s works.
“It can feel quite vulnerable, writing romance. Firstly, it’s a genre that some look down on, they consider it trash reading. And while a lot of people read and enjoy romance, it focuses a lot on female desire and wish fulfilment,” Cho said.
“And it can be quite scary, showing the world what you think is attractive or desirable. It’s something quite personal you’re putting out there.”
Writing the novel during the pandemic, with Cho cut off from her family, also resulted in an unconscious “sadness” creeping into the storyline: this is reflected in her two main characters, who were living abroad for various reasons.
Cho has a two-book deal with her publisher, which means fans will be able to enjoy another romance next year. She hints it will feature two Southeast Asian lawyers, who are “work nemeses” at a London corporate law firm.
“I think the next thing I’ll write will be a fantasy. I have a big chunky idea, which I’ve had for some time now. It needs a bit of research, and with the kids and all, I haven’t had the time to buckle down and do it. But I think now might be the time,” said Cho, a mother of two.
Might she contemplate another writing genre switch in future?
“Who knows?” the author concluded with a laugh. “I always like to keep things fresh!”
‘The Friendzone Experiment’ is available at major bookstores.