In yellow

Don't look at a gift horse's teeth. And stolen, no less. Writer Athena Liu is the envy of everyone. Right after graduating from Yale, she published a first novel with a major publishing house that shot her sky high. Her novels about her Asian roots have been acclaimed by critics and readers alike, awards are pouring in from all sides, translations are being published all over the world, money is pouring in, and a studio has come calling with an offer to buy the film rights. Athena is young, beautiful and successful. And most importantly, dead. June Hayward was right there when her classmate choked on a piece of pancake. Although she feels sad, her cynical self whispers that now she finally has a chance to break through. Until now, she has been stumbling through invisible alleys in the writing world, and the success of her unrivalled colleague has been hard to bear. But with the manuscript she took from Athena's apartment that fateful night, she could have shone. So why not take a chance and release it under your name? The real author couldn't care less, could she? Or would you have acted differently if you had all your dreams within reach? This satire by an award-winning bestselling author reveals the cynical twists and turns of the book business, which is less about art than it is about prestige and money. The novel was voted the best book of 2023 in an Amazon poll and shortlisted in a poll of the UK's biggest booksellers, as well as making Time's annual Top 100 Books list. "The author's first foray out of the fantasy genre delivers a gripping novel about the shadows of the publishing world, where the creator is so desperate that he will do anything to succeed." - National Public Radio "A brisk and suspenseful read, this is a satirical thriller that will be both enjoyable and strongly against the grain. Apart from his scathing critique of writing for business, he mainly shows the vagaries of the publishing industry." - The New York Times "Perversely entertaining. Kuang shows that everyone is lying and bluffing. Ultimately, the Yellow ultimately labels any creative act as a form of theft." - The Guardian "The author's efforts have nothing to do with the book's success. The picks are being picked. None of what you do matters. You can just enjoy the benefits of it." - excerpt from text