Jesse Q. Sutanto is a Chinese-Indonesian author. As of 2023, she has published nine novels for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers. She is most famous for her novel Dial A for Aunties, which won the 2021 Comedy Women in Print Prize and has been optioned for a film by Netflix.
Sutanto grew up in a Chinese-Indonesian family, living in Singapore, Indonesia, and Oxford.[1] She speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, and English with her family.[1] She currently lives in Jakarta with her husband, who is English, and their two daughters.[1][2][3]
Sutanto received her MFA in creative writing from Oxford University in 2009 and has been writing ever since.[4][5] She published her first book in 2021 and as of 2023, she has published nine books for readers of all ages.
In 2021, Sutanto published her hit novel, Dial A for Aunties. For this book, Sutanto became the first writer of colour to win the United Kingdom's Comedy Women in Print Prize.[1] The novel, which is a blend of romantic comedy and murder mystery, features Chinese-Indonesian culture through the lens of a girl, her mother and four aunts.[6]
In 2020, before Dial A for Aunties was even published, the film rights were bought by Netflix as a result of a bidding war.[7][5] It will be directed by Nahnatchka Khan who is famous for creating the sitcom Fresh off the Boat and produced by Fierce Baby Productions and Davis Entertainment.[7][5] Sutanto will executive produce the film.[7]
^Sutanto, Jesse Q., Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders Narrated by Eunice Wong. Books on Tape.(2024). 2024 RUSA Listen List Revealed. American Library Association, January 20, 2024.
