The Take
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A provocative, fast-paced novel about two creative women—a young writer fighting to be heard and an older producer clinging to relevancy—and the age reversal treatment that intertwines both of their lives…from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the beloved Front Desk series
Would you sell your youth for $3 million?
Maggie Wang, a broke young Asian American writer, needs a lifeline. Ingrid Parker, a veteran white Hollywood producer with her career on the edge, offers an irresistible deal: $3 million for ten experimental medical sessions to reverse her aging, using Maggie as a transfusion partner, and mentorship.
For Ingrid, it's a chance to reboot her fading career. For Maggie, it's access and freedom—money to support her parents and the connections to finally get her novel published.
What starts as a professional transaction exchanging blood quickly becomes a complex psychological dance. As Maggie gains unprecedented access to Ingrid's hard-earned wisdom, Ingrid sees in Maggie a weapon against an industry that's been trying to sideline her.
As their relationship intensifies, the rules around aging begin to shift. So does the balance of power between the two women, leaving both questioning who holds the upper hand and what they're willing to sacrifice to succeed.
Sharp, timely, and utterly compelling, The Take is perfect for readers of Yellowface and Such a Fun Age—a searing portrait of two women fighting to rewrite their story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A successful Hollywood film producer and a struggling writer take part in an experimental reverse-aging treatment in this clever satire from YA author Yang (Parachutes). Maggie Wang, 23, receives a damning critique of her novella from the head of her MFA program and considers throwing in the towel. Meanwhile, "demanding" movie producer Ingrid Parker, 53, struggles to get a passion project off the ground. After Ingrid's doctor tells her about an experimental procedure in which an aging patient's cells are exchanged with a younger person's to stave off the risk of cancer, she hires Maggie as an assistant and tells her she's willing to pay someone $3 million for the cell swap, knowing the procedure will cause the other person's own aging to accelerate. Maggie volunteers, and as the women begin treatments, Maggie comes to view Ingrid as a mentor who will help her writing career take off. But when Ingrid reclaims her health, she steals ideas from Maggie's novella for a new pitch, and Maggie retaliates by approaching literary agents claiming Ingrid has optioned her work. Yang pokes fun at her characters' unbridled ambition, which causes Maggie to lose her judgment ("Maybe this is the real American dream.... Not caring what anyone else thinks!" she says to Ingrid before the betrayal). It's a hoot.
