S10E4 Entitlement: Rumaan Alam on how money defines and controls us

“It felt so powerful a moment of realisation to me, that the sum of who I am may be, in some significant way, measured in dollars.” ~Rumaan Alam

Money controls us all, whether we have a lot of it, or not enough. And exposure to money can force people to do questionable things - and even stray from their morals and beliefs.

Rumaan Alam is the New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind, which was adapted for the screen by Netflix. His new book ‘Entitlement’ follows protagonist Brooke, a middle-class woman who finds herself transformed by her new job and proximity to extreme wealth.

Tasked with dishing out the fortune of one billionaire philanthropist, Brooke’s story takes us on a journey through many themes - of race, privilege, legacy, entitlement, morality and class. In this episode Rumaan explains why money became the central point of this novel, how he used dramatic irony and sensory writing to enhance the reader’s experience, and what it was like to achieve such success with his previous book.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why the parallels you want to draw through your narrative aren’t always obvious.
• A helpful way of coming up with an ending for your book.
• Why you need to throw perfectionism out of the window!

Find out more about Rumaan here.

Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.

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You can view the full transcript here.

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