I think it is flattering and probably not meant to be mocking or malicious. I imagine Kevin Kwan did a lot of research into the British upper classes by ordering back issues of Tatler and reading your Telegraph columns, and that perhaps he meant to change the surname but forgot. He is a huge author and Lies and Marriage is already a publishing sensation - it has nearly 16,000 reviews on Good Reads. As the notes sections of the great 19th/20th century social satires attest, Dickens, Evelyn Waugh, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edith Wharton all used real people’s names for their characters, and they weren’t always altered or hidden. I think you should contact Kevin Kwan via his publisher and suggest that you have lunch next time he is in London. If anything it would make great material for an article or a part two of the story for your Substack.
Yes I totally get how peculiarly easy it is to forget these things! You pinch something from real life and mean to change it later and yet... And agree, it would.
Surely if it’s so obviously based on you and uses your actual name, it would have been good manners to - I dunno; call me crazy - ask permission?! Enjoying your brilliant alternatives, though….
I went to a launch event where Kevin Kwan noted that his novels reflect real-life people (eg, someone noticed their family was the family in CRA). He is quite likable and I imagine he meant the use of your name as flattery…but I haven’t yet read the book, so I can’t say for certain! Kind of fun, I think.
That really is kind of creepy! And hard to imagine it could be a coincidence (though odd ones do happen: Christina Lauren's latest male lead seems to be a supermarket heir named Weston - which I'm sure wouldn't have got past legal, if anyone involved knew that Canada's largest supermarket chain belongs to the Weston family). But yes, another vote for Dosh-Monzo!
I did spot it, and I wondered whether you were in on it…FWIW it was my sister, not my copy editor, who noticed just in time that in Limelight I’d accidentally named a school bully after Mrs Hinch! That said - you might have the most distinctive surname in contemporary literature. And Dosh-Monzo has a BRILLIANT ring to it!
I used to love the hat game - we always called it ‘the game with no name’. I loved how by the time you got to the final round you just had to say the name of the poor sod who a round previous was having to pretend they were a sex toy (just our Uni group? 😅)
Also howling at hat game, we played something very like this at table in ED rehab. It had to be someone in the room, or at the facility. It was our favorite 😂😂😂😂
Also weird to put the actual you in a book??? Without permission???? My friend asked to use my first name, but she hasn’t published the book yet. She did warn me the character was to be killed off….HMMMMM 😂
I think that’s pretty poor form not changing the name when the parallels are so obvious, and a parody would have at least shown effort. Not sure about involving lawyers as that would give a lazy writer unearned attention but a note to the publisher maybe?
Dosh-Monzo is dramatically funnier and that's why you're the better writer.
I think he's pretty funny usually! But this is v kind, thank you.
I think KK should have changed the surname to Cosima Geld-Hoare though.
I think it is flattering and probably not meant to be mocking or malicious. I imagine Kevin Kwan did a lot of research into the British upper classes by ordering back issues of Tatler and reading your Telegraph columns, and that perhaps he meant to change the surname but forgot. He is a huge author and Lies and Marriage is already a publishing sensation - it has nearly 16,000 reviews on Good Reads. As the notes sections of the great 19th/20th century social satires attest, Dickens, Evelyn Waugh, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edith Wharton all used real people’s names for their characters, and they weren’t always altered or hidden. I think you should contact Kevin Kwan via his publisher and suggest that you have lunch next time he is in London. If anything it would make great material for an article or a part two of the story for your Substack.
Yes I totally get how peculiarly easy it is to forget these things! You pinch something from real life and mean to change it later and yet... And agree, it would.
At the very least he owes you an expensive lunch! I have friends in Singapore who know KK and say that he is an absolute hoot.
Surely if it’s so obviously based on you and uses your actual name, it would have been good manners to - I dunno; call me crazy - ask permission?! Enjoying your brilliant alternatives, though….
I went to a launch event where Kevin Kwan noted that his novels reflect real-life people (eg, someone noticed their family was the family in CRA). He is quite likable and I imagine he meant the use of your name as flattery…but I haven’t yet read the book, so I can’t say for certain! Kind of fun, I think.
That really is kind of creepy! And hard to imagine it could be a coincidence (though odd ones do happen: Christina Lauren's latest male lead seems to be a supermarket heir named Weston - which I'm sure wouldn't have got past legal, if anyone involved knew that Canada's largest supermarket chain belongs to the Weston family). But yes, another vote for Dosh-Monzo!
Dosh-Monzo is a winner!
I did spot it, and I wondered whether you were in on it…FWIW it was my sister, not my copy editor, who noticed just in time that in Limelight I’d accidentally named a school bully after Mrs Hinch! That said - you might have the most distinctive surname in contemporary literature. And Dosh-Monzo has a BRILLIANT ring to it!
unbelievably bad manners from Kevin Kwan
Fab.
What a very lovely and graceful response.
I used to love the hat game - we always called it ‘the game with no name’. I loved how by the time you got to the final round you just had to say the name of the poor sod who a round previous was having to pretend they were a sex toy (just our Uni group? 😅)
Silently shaking on a work call reading the games. The loafer chuck should be played at all good sports days; far smarter than a welly wang.
I'm so sorry about the name-grab; so bloody rude.
WELLY WANGING. I forgot about that!
I’ve never seen that skit and I’m screaming!!!
Also howling at hat game, we played something very like this at table in ED rehab. It had to be someone in the room, or at the facility. It was our favorite 😂😂😂😂
Also weird to put the actual you in a book??? Without permission???? My friend asked to use my first name, but she hasn’t published the book yet. She did warn me the character was to be killed off….HMMMMM 😂
Ah... well hopefully not on page 3, at least?!
SO GLAD to have introduced it to you. Isn't it amazing?
I think that’s pretty poor form not changing the name when the parallels are so obvious, and a parody would have at least shown effort. Not sure about involving lawyers as that would give a lazy writer unearned attention but a note to the publisher maybe?
I use https://www.brinvale.com/ for my bird food; I think it’s the avian Harrods Food Hall.
Thanks for the film rec.
OOOOH thank you for the bird food rec lovely Moira. I am determined to crack the fussy robins etc of Crystal Palace.