Jaded
The compulsive must-read new novel of 2024
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
‘Ela Lee is a remarkable new voice in fiction ... JADED made me laugh, cry and really bloody furious’ Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars
Jade isn't even my real name. Jade began as my Starbucks name, because all children of immigrants have a Starbucks name.
Jade has become everything she ever wanted to be.
Successful lawyer. Dutiful daughter. Beloved girlfriend. Loyal friend.
Until one night after a work event when she’s assaulted by a colleague, she starts to wonder if she really wanted to be the person she’s become.
She’s learned to laugh when she’s felt like crying, opted to be invisible when she wanted to speak up, and adapted her identity to the person she’s spending time with.
As she tries to confront what happened to her, Jade finds she has a choice to make but the question is, which is the right one?
This searing novel explores the strength we find in female friendship, the hope that lights up the dark moments, and recovery that’s far from linear. JADED will leave you asking yourself: what would you have done in Jade’s situation?
'This raw, dark novel explores racism, class & sexism & you'll want to savour every word on every page' Refinery 29
'JADED is a thoughtful, hard-hitting exploration of race, identity, and the rippling effects of sexual assault. Ela Lee writes with an urgency and clarity that will have you hooked until the last page.' Cecile Pin, Women's Prize longlisted author of Wandering Souls
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'A raw, compulsive and nuanced novel' i newspaper
'One of 2024's hottest reads' Sunday Times
Content warning: this novel features themes of sexual assault and violence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lee's promising debut probes what happens when a British woman's carefully constructed persona shatters after she's sexually assaulted. The daughter of a Turkish father and a South Korean mother, Jade Kaya was born Ceyda Kayaoğlu. At 25, Jade has assimilated into upper-class English society, immersed in her high-powered job practicing corporate law and involved with a wealthy white boyfriend, Kit. Everything about her life is practiced and studied—down to the name Jade, which began as her "Starbucks name." After she's sexually assaulted by a colleague, however, she reconsiders her relationships and aspirations. Kit's performative support for marginalized people doesn't extend to sticking up for Jade against his friends' casual racism, and her two best female friends disagree on whether she should file a formal workplace complaint. At times, these characters can feel more like straw men than real people. Lee is better, though, at untangling the complicated emotions wrapped up in Jade's evolving relationship with her parents, who fear she will lose hold of her material successes and grieve their home countries. Though somewhat lacking in nuance, this is carried along by flashes of genuine rage and connection.
