Audition

What did I just read? I have theories that would be so much fun to discuss—please read it so we can talk about it! The publisher calls this “a mesmerizing Mobius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love.” In this carefully constructed and compulsively readable experience, Kitamura presents two competing narratives, both delivered in the first person by a talented actress who fears she peaked long ago. An unnerving change of perspective mid-novel shifts everything the reader thought they understood about the characters’ relationships, as Kitamura explicitly calls us to consider the interplay between artistry and life. For lovers of family dramas, voice-y narratives, and quietly tense novels. I expect readers will either love or hate this open-ended story; I loved it.