***LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION’S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE***
A dazzling debut novel about a young woman’s dark obsession with her privileged classmate and the lengths she’ll go to win his love—from prizewinning Chinese American author Susie Yang.
Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.
Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.
Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate.
Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.
Filled with surprising twists and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story, as well as a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.
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“Emily Woo Zeller skillfully steers the dramatic plot of this audiobook…Zeller’s outstanding storytelling also elevates the work’s twists and the harsh reality of the immigrant experience. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“A truly addictive read.”
— Glamour"Yang delves into class warfare and deceit in the season’s biggest debut.”
— Entertainment Weekly“White Ivy cleverly overturns the ‘model minority’ stereotype with a deliciously twisty story that will leave you breathless.”
— Real Simple“[A] tale of love, lies, and obsession, in which there are no boundaries to finding the fulfillment of one’s own dreams. Yang’s skill in creating surprising, even shocking plot twists will leave readers breathless.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“Yang’s dark, spellbinding debut gives insight into the immigrant experience and life in the upper class…Surprising twists, elegant prose, and complex characters in this coming-of-age story make this a captivating read.”
— Booklist (starred review)“The truly unforgettable narrator, Ivy…is so hypnotic, the way her voice feels both wild and controlled. She ran right through me.”
— Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling authorBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Susie Yang is the author of White Ivy, long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Award. She was born in China and came to the United States as a child. She studied creative writing at Tin House and Sackett Street. She has lived across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and now resides in the United Kingdom.
Emily Woo Zeller is an artist, actor, dancer, choreographer, and voice artist who has won Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration in 2018. She began her voice-over career by voicing animation in Asia. AudioFile magazine named her one of the Best Voices of 2013 for her work in Gulp. Other awards include the 2009 Tristen Award for Best Actress as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and the 2006 Roselyn E. Schneider Prize for Creative Achievement.