Interview with Kat Tang
I’m a sucker for novels that offer interesting takes on relationships of all kinds, so I was curious to check out Kat Tang’s debut novel, Five-Star Stranger (out today!). It’s about a man who is dedicated to his job as a rental companion. He’s so preoccupied with making his clients happy, he doesn’t stop to consider what he himself might need or want. His longest standing client is a single mother who has him pretend to be the father of her child. As you can imagine, things get complicated.
I enjoyed the voice of the delightfully flawed narrator so much I devoured the novel in a few short days. Five-Star Stranger is funny and touching— a smart, surprising story about visibility and the commodification of relationships.
I’m so happy Kat agreed to this interview!
The premise for this novel was inspired by how people can rent strangers in Japan. Can you talk about the novel's journey from that initial spark of inspiration to the finished draft?
I was fascinated by the idea that someone could rent another human being to fulfill a role that typically required years if not a lifetime of experience. I wondered both what it might feel like to realize your—let's say father—was not your real father, but also who would take on such roles? Who could spend so much time being everyone but themselves? From there, the main character took shape. In my head he was always a paradox: an unhappy man who wanted to make everyone around him happy. The rest of the novel flowed from there.
I started working on this idea back in 2018, but put it aside while studying at Columbia for my MFA. In 2021 I decided to rework the novel for my MFA thesis, though without looking at the earlier draft because I was too embarrassed by how it might read (turns out it wasn't too bad!). After receiving feedback from advisors and friends, I restructured the entire novel again, starting from a blank page, which then ended up being the manuscript I sent out.
It's been such an intense process but also a lot of fun. Recently, I even traveled to Japan and rented a father so I could experience for myself what that was really like, so it felt like a full circle back to the beginning!
Your website reveals a rich background: lawyer turned writer, you’ve published graphic narratives, and you have a wide range of hobbies including painting, tennis, hip hop dancing, unplanned travel, and archery. I'm curious if you find your non-writing interests help your work.
I've always gravitated towards the arts as a way of expression. In high school I was the kid doodling on the margins of every page, and in college I was dancing in the aisles of grocery stores. There's so much in art—and life—that translates to writing. From photography I've learned about foreground, midground, background which I apply when thinking about revisions to my writing. From painting I'm playing around with white space and how that might translate figuratively and literally. Dancing is all about rhythm and hitting those unexpected beats (and paying attention to the body!). Ceramics are great for metaphor; clay bodies remember the shapes you once molded them to, and will try to return to those forms when fired. Maybe it's also the role of the writer to find inspiration in everything they do. Though I'm still waiting to find beauty in vacuuming. When that happens, I'll let you know.
Can you share some reading recommendations?
I was told that before my debut comes out I should read as much for fun as I can and I've been enjoying so many different books. Cleo Qian's short story collection Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go is fantastic and several of her stories haunt my waking thoughts. I also loved the language (and food! There's another love of mine) in C. Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey. I adore books in translation and would highly recommend Alejandro Zambra's Chilean Poet for a funny and heartwarming read as well as Love by Ørstavik Hanne for a beautiful and heartbreaking one.
Is there a song that ties into the novel in some way?
I'm one of those weird people who writes, runs, and generally works in silence. So no song in particular, but the soundtrack would be the incessant meowing of my cat as he tries to foist his 14 lb body onto my lap while I work.
Thank you, Kat!