This is a spoiler-free review!
I bought this book probably about a year ago and kept telling myself I was going to sit down and see what all of the craze was about.. well, I can finally check this one off my TBR! I read this book in one sitting in under three hours - once I started, I simply could not stop. While this is the first work of Kuang's I have read, I can definitely understand the appeal and the rave reviews she has received. The entire premise of this book is utterly intriguing and explores a narrative I have yet to come across while diving deep into the narrator's conscious as she attempts to justify her actions.
Juniper Hayward's first novel is a flop, while her Yale schoolmate and fellow novelist, Athena Liu, has acquired yet another pin in her hat - a Netflix deal for one of her books. When an unfortunate and tragic accident takes Athena's life in a blink of an eye, Juniper does the unthinkable - she steals the sole copy of Athena's latest manuscript and decides to pass it off as her own. Without the original author there to call her bluff, Juniper's life goes from luck-luster writer to overnight sensation - she receives praise, signs with a new editor and publishing house, and begins to receive all the nominations she was so envious of Athena accumulating.
Not everything can be as easy as stealing a manuscript and passing it off as your own, it seems. The momentum is strong when the book finally is published, yet Juniper is haunted by the choice she has made. Readers see her try to reason with herself and justify her thievery while slowly slipping into the mentality that she truly wrote the book. Sure, she made some edits - and had some not so complimentary things to say about Athena's writing - but she enters this state of delusion as she digs herself deeper and deeper into this mess. And it is all not without consequence - as people begin to peace some things together, we see Juniper's initial weariness transpire into full-fledge paranoia.
Juniper truly believes she is entitled to the success that she has stolen from Athena, and it was baffling to see the lengths she was willing to go to keep everything under wraps. Not only does she have critics and the general public becoming suspicious of her "work," but she herself seemingly is becoming undone internally and begins on a path of unknowing self destruction. I cannot say that I feel bad for Juniper - she is at the center of this massive secret, and yet she does not even recognize what she has done once she gets in too deep. I truly think this book looks deep into the feelings of loneliness that Juniper was surrounded by, and to be frank, that Athena felt as well. Juniper mentions that novelists often do not have that many friends, and it is evident that is the case when it comes to these two. They cannot even call themselves friends to one another - they "spent" all this time "together" and only on maybe two nights of their lives were they able to make a worthy connection.
Intriguingly enough, I did find some of the "complaints" that Juniper had of Athena's writing riddled throughout this book itself - the prose that seemingly consumed Athena and thus turned some of her writing into rambles was slightly littered throughout Kuang's novel. The pacing certainly kept me locked in, otherwise I would not have been able to complete it so quickly - that being said, the sentence structure and flow permitted readers to remain engaged due to the short chapters. This book would be heaven for the booktwitter and booktok warriors - the on-the-nose commentary, Twitter quotes, one star Goodreads rating, and various think pieces of Juniper's capabilities - it was like I was experiencing a modern-day cancellation on page.
My overall feeling is that this book feels like it simply was not complete - there is more that could have been said, and if the author had decided to lean into Juniper's more crazed state earlier on, I think we would have been able to reach a more concrete conclusion. While I understand why she decided to end the book in such a way, it feels as though it was done out of necessity rather than satisfaction in the wrap of the story. As I have already noted, this is the first work of Kuang's I have dived into, but it still felt as though she is likely capable of more than what she provided here.
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