The 1A Book Club: Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain

The NPR talk show 1A launched “The 1A Book Club,” which will feature debut novels that they believe merit our attention.  The book club’s first selection was Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain, and a book club gathering was hosted on Monday, May 24th, 2023.

Listen to: The 1A Book Club reads ‘Our Best Intentions’

First author Vibhuti Jain joined host Jenn White to discuss her debut novel.  In summary, “Our Best Intentions” is a thought-provoking narrative that tackles complex themes of race, class, and good intentions.  Vibhuti Jain shared that the inspiration for the story came from a conversation with her Uber driver.

The discussion then shifted to the live guest panel of “book club members” who shared their reviews and reflections on how “Our Best Intentions” resonated with our lived experiences.  The panel included:

• Kristina Phelan, 1A listener
• William Dozier, book influencer on TikTok and Instagram; @williampdozier
• Jean Kwok, author of “The Leftover Woman”, “Searching for Sylvie Lee”
• And yours truly, Victoria Wood

I completely agreed with host Jenn White when she said, “Writers read books differently than the rest of us,” and Jean Kwok, author of “The Leftover Woman” and “Searching for Sylvie Lee,” added great insight to the conversation.  Jean shared the joys and challenges of creating complex characters and storylines and the process of publishing a novel.  From rewriting drafts to receiving editorial letters and working with copy editors, the journey to publication is long and challenging.

“Our Best Intentions” is a captivating debut novel that brings important issues to the forefront, and thanks to the 1A Book Club, readers can now have a thought-provoking and engaging reading experience as they listen in and join in on the conversation.

Buy Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain from: AMAZON / BOOKSHOP

Listen to: The 1A Book Club reads ‘Our Best Intentions.’

Get to know Vibhuti Jain more in our author feature.

Buy Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain from: AMAZON / BOOKSHOP

Listen to: The 1A Book Club reads ‘Our Best Intentions.’

Get to know Vibhuti Jain more in our author feature.