Immaculate Conception
A Novel
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4.4 • 9 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“A superb work of fiction.”—New York Times Book Review
What if you could enter the mind of the person you love the most?
Enka meets Mathilde in art school and is instantly drawn to her. Mathilde makes art that feels truly original, and Enka—trying hard to prove herself in this fiercely competitive world—pours everything into their friendship. But when Mathilde’s fame and success cause her to begin drifting away, Enka becomes desperate to keep her close.
Enter SCAFFOLD. Purported to enhance empathy, this cutting-edge technology could allow Enka to inhabit Mathilde’s mind and access her memories, artistic inspirations, and deep-seated trauma. Undergoing this procedure would link Enka and Mathilde forever. But at what cost?
Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and shocking, Immaculate Conception offers us a portrait of close friendship—achingly tender and twisted—that captures the tenuous line between love and possession that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Huang's provocative if uneven sophomore outing (after Natural Beauty) blends speculative elements with a story of friendship and jealousy between two artists from opposing backgrounds. Enka, the narrator, was a "fringe kid," whose family lived on the poorer side of the impenetrable "buffer" in her native Florida. When, despite unlikely odds, Enka is accepted to a prestigious art school, she is immediately fascinated by Mathilde Wojnot-Cho, the "supremely gifted" wunderkind everyone is too nervous to befriend. Mathilde grew up protesting the buffers despite living on the affluent "enclave" side, and she and Enka develop an intense bond, "dream the same dreams." A rift forms when Mathilde is invited to show her work at the Whitney Museum and the Venice Biennale but Enka receives no such opportunities. Later, after Enka marries into a wealthy family and Mathilde suffers an unimaginable loss, the two decide to connect their psyches via a technology called the Scaffold, which allows its users to "inhabit" each other's minds. Unsurprisingly, the results are harrowing. At times the dialogue lapses into melodrama, but Huang writes evocatively of Enka's waxing and waning jealousy of Mathilde, which comes at the expense of developing her own artistic voice. This bracing novel gives readers plenty to chew on.
