Audition Topic is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend

is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval --a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met

her editorial work is little known

narrated by a Black soldier who returns to Jim Crow and searches for a mythical ideal

A letter from the author and visual examples of different kinds of braided hairstyles are included in the back of the book

bestselling author of Detransition

Audition Topic is Harriet's charismatic childhood friendNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, TIME MAGAZINE, MARIE CLAIRE, BOOK RIOT, ESQUIRE, KIRKUS, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND MORE! ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A tightly wound family drama that reads like a psychological thriller." NPR "Bold, stark, genre bending, Audition will haunt your dreams." The Boston Globe One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or