Complicit, Winnie M Li
Complicit, Winnie M Li
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Complicit

Author: Winnie M Li

Narrator: Katie Leung

Unabridged: 13 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/16/2022


Synopsis

“Like the best filmmakers, Li draws you to the edge of your seat and keeps you there.” —The New York Times Book Review

A CRIMEREADS BEST CRIME NOVEL

After a long-buried, harrowing incident, a woman whose promising film career was derailed contemplates revenge in this thriller about power, privilege, and justice “that is compelling, courageous, and brutal in the best possible way” (Liz Nugent, author of Little Cruelties).

A Hollywood has-been, Sarah Lai’s dreams of success behind the camera have turned to ashes. Now a lecturer at an obscure college, this former producer wants nothing more than to forget those youthful ambitions and push aside any feelings of regret…or guilt.

But when a journalist reaches out to her to discuss her own experience working with the celebrated film producer Hugo North, Sarah can no longer keep silent. This is her last chance to tell her side of the story and maybe even exact belated vengeance.

As Sarah recounts the industry’s dark and sordid secrets, however, she begins to realize that she has a few sins of her own to confess. Now she must confront her choices and ask herself, just who was complicit?

Bold and hypnotic, Complicit transports us “into the film industry’s dark and deep-seated culture of rampant sexism and unbridled male ego…and the terrible cost of staying silent. An utterly compelling read” (Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs. Parrish).

About Winnie M Li

Winnie M Li is an American author and activist living in the UK with her partner and young son. A Harvard graduate, Winnie has written for travel guidebooks, produced independent feature films, programmed for film festivals, and developed eco-tourism projects. Her first novel, Dark Chapter, was nominated for an Edgar Award and translated into ten languages, followed by the critically acclaimed Complicit. A survivor and advocate against gendered violence, she holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and teaches creative writing and media studies.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer

I think I’m one of the right targets who truly get interested in this book more than average readers as a independent screenplay writer who witnessed the ugly face of movie industry! I easily connected with Sarah and her striking story. The dynamics between Sarah and Sylvia are realistically develop......more

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Winnie M Li for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Now available as of 8.16!** Lights. Camera. Scandal! This timely tale, set in the era of #MeToo has all the makings of a sordid, pulse-pounding tale...but ambles into more timid territory...and......more

Goodreads review by Thomas

Overall, a powerful novel about sexual assault in the film industry with themes that apply to so many domains of society. In Complicit, we follow Sarah Lai, a film lecturer at an obscure college who once worked as an associate producer for a relatively popular film. One day a journalist reaches out......more

Goodreads review by Era ➴

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC! This book was both everything I was prepared for and nothing I was expecting. I hope that sentence made some amount of sense, because my feelings toward this book sure don’t. First of all, this book kind of gave me Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes......more

3.5 Stars I wouldn't normally have chosen this to read, but for a marketing message from the publisher bringing it to my attention. I became intrigued because it involved the movie making industry, a New York City locale, an Asian perspective and the "me too movement". Sarah Lai is a child of Chinese......more


Quotes

"Scottish actress Katie Leung employs a flawless American accent in this biting thriller involving the film industry. Sarah Lai is teaching introductory screenwriting at a small college in New York City when a famous reporter starts to interview her about her past with a billionaire film producer. Leung gives Sarah a drained tone that comes to life with naïve enthusiasm as she recounts her difficult rise from assistant at an indie production company to acting producer on a hot L.A. film set. Cinematic character voices and accents for her tough New Yorker boss, Sylvia; auteur bro, Xander; and predatory financier, Hugo North, create a vivid cast for a story that shows how misogyny and ambition allow sexual predators to remain powerful behind the scenes."