In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Jung Yun's All the World Can Hold, an acerbic debut following the passengers of a Bermuda-bound pleasure cruise five days after 9/11. In its review PW calls says, "there’s a great deal of depth to this character-driven work."
Here's how the book came together:
Jung Yun
“I lived in Brooklyn on 9/11 and left the city soon afterward to study writing, so I’ve been circling the idea of a 9/11-related book for my most of my career. The biggest challenge was realizing that I didn’t want to write about 9/11—I wanted to write about people whose lives came into focus as a result of that event. Once I finally understood this and placed the story on a cruise ship, which is where I was after 9/11, the manuscript came together surprisingly quickly.”
Jennifer Gates
“As agents, we’re matchmakers, and we hope editors will fall in love with a book we’re submitting in all the ways we have. I’ve worked with Dawn Davis on several books over the years and had a gut feeling she’d be the dream editor and publisher for this novel and for Jung. I’m so happy it turned out to be the case.”
Dawn Davis
“I tend to start novels without reading the submission letter so I can judge them only on my instincts without being persuaded by things like preexisting blurbs, MFAs, or prize nominations. Without any preamble, I immediately fell for the story. Once I was immersed, I read Jen’s cover letter and was not at all surprised to see Jung was beloved by readers and booksellers alike.”
Matt Roeser
“The main watercolor is from Winslow Homer, who painted scenes of Bermuda in the late 1890s using vibrant, tropical colors. In inverting the image, I wanted it to go from the bright oranges, reds, greens, and blues down to the water getting choppier and darker, eventually ending in a dismal gray sky, with the cruise ship belching dark smoke into the air, similar to visuals from 9/11.”
