Aleksandar Hemon Reads ZZ Packer

In The New Yorker Fiction Podcast, Deborah Treisman interviews Aleksandar Hemon about ZZ Packer's short story, "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere." Hemon discusses his love for the story and its relevance to his students, highlighting the character Dina's complex and ambiguous narration. He explores themes of trust, displacement, identity, and shame within the story, particularly Dina's struggles at Yale and her relationship with Heidi. They analyze key scenes, such as the orientation games, the dishroom encounter, and Heidi's "coming out," discussing Dina's emotional vulnerability and her difficulty in forming genuine connections. The conversation delves into the story's ending, considering Dina's retreat as a search for a sovereign space and the possibility of future reconciliation with Heidi.