How S’porean writer Divya Maniar turned television bingeing into debut novel After Care
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London-based Singaporean writer Divya Maniar’s debut novel After Care follows a reality television star suffering from burnout.
PHOTOS: NAOMY PEDROZA, VERVE BOOKS
- Divya Maniar turned pandemic reality TV bingeing into her debut novel, After Care, which explores voyeurism, fame and social media through a burnt-out reality star.
- Her editor and agent helped shape the book, and Maniar drew on Michel Foucault’s “panopticon” and her own viewing habits to build a convincing world.
- She says Grace is a “canary in the coal mine” for modern attention culture, while her own book launch and online promotion show the pressure to stay visible.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Binge-watching reality television shows for up to eight hours a day during the Covid-19 pandemic, Singaporean writer Divya Maniar, 27, watched her feelings sour from benign pleasure into horror.
Why was she, like so many in lockdown, demanding emotional catharsis from real people who had nothing to do with her?