BEAUTIFUL BRUTAL BODIES

A claustrophobic horror story unfolds on a small island where nothing is as it seems.

All 17-year-old Tian has ever known is the beautiful prison she’s been caged in since her mother’s tragic death—an isolated Pacific Northwest mansion, where she lives with Auntie Chu, her guardian, and Liya, Auntie Chu’s daughter and Tian’s “shadow.” Tian writes and performs songs for her online followers, which provides a modicum of solace. But after some of her fans die horrific deaths during one of her livestreams, she blames herself—and Liya starts feeling more like a guard than a sympathetic friend. Auntie Chu dispatches Tian to a retreat on Xingmeng, a private island near Hong Kong, “for creatives who need a safe place to rebuild themselves after experiencing difficult circum­stances.” She’s accompanied by Liya and Shenyu, a boy she met online and collaborates with in making music. Xingmeng Island is strange and eerie, and the trio try to determine whether there’s something macabre going on. As they seek the truth, they also must come to terms with who and what they truly are. This book, which is suffused with horror, hits all the marks: It’s stunningly grotesque, with a lyrical narrative and compelling dialogue. The banter and chemistry among the characters is delicious, and there’s an absorbing romance. All main characters are East Asian.

Intense and atmospheric; sure to live on in readers’ minds long after they finish.