From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connectionEnka meets Mathilde in art school. Mathilde is a dizzyingly talented yet tortured artist whose star is on the rise—and Enka, struggling to make art that feels original, is immediately drawn to her. The two strike up an intense bond that soon turns codependent. But when Mathilde’s fame reaches new heights, Enka becomes desperate to keep her best friend close—no matter the cost.Enka quickly falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family’s company is funding an unconventional technology purported to heighten empathy, which could allow someone else to inhabit Mathilde’s mind and absorb the trauma from her brain. Soon, the boundaries between Mathilde and Enka begin to blur even further, setting in motion a disturbing series of events that forever changes their lives.Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and shocking, Immaculate Conception deftly navigates big questions of art, technology, authorship, and what makes us human. Ling Ling Huang 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.
Was ist bookie?
- Gratis Lieferung in Deutschland
- Finde Bücher die zu dir passen
- Tracke dein Leseverhalten und setze dir Ziele
- Connecte dich mit anderen Leser*innen
Immaculate Conception
von Ling Ling Huang
From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connectionEnka meets Mathilde in art school. Mathilde is a dizzyingly talented yet tortured artist whose star is on the rise—and Enka, struggling to make art that feels original, is immediately drawn to her. The two strike up an intense bond that soon turns codependent. But when Mathilde’s fame reaches new heights, Enka becomes desperate to keep her best friend close—no matter the cost.Enka quickly falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family’s company is funding an unconventional technology purported to heighten empathy, which could allow someone else to inhabit Mathilde’s mind and absorb the trauma from her brain. Soon, the boundaries between Mathilde and Enka begin to blur even further, setting in motion a disturbing series of events that forever changes their lives.Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and shocking, Immaculate Conception deftly navigates big questions of art, technology, authorship, and what makes us human. Ling Ling Huang 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.
Aktuelle Rezensionen(1)
Rezension von Weiche ZäuneAren't all good stories about memory? Or so the saying goes. The one by Ling Ling Huang connects it in a slightly speculative way with technology, buried trauma, and the high-end art world. There are more similarities to "Lightbreakers", but they are not the point, actually. Ling Ling Huangs book focuses on a rival / bff friendship with some hilarious puns on the writing of art and art student's pretense - extra points for early recognition of Remedios Varo. So let's interrogate the material here: we are talking about a classic constellation of troubled genius and down-to-earth but less brillant sidekick (also the narrator), which turns sour as they leave college and succeed commercially, or remain commentator on the sideline (but marry happily). Now technology. As AI drastically disrupts authorship and artistic practice, a gadget appears that allows unfiltered sharing of emotions and memory, thereby sharing the sources of artistic inspiration and trauma (not the same thing, but equally exploited as one in the art world as we see it here.