An ex–piano prodigy discovers inexplicable inspiration for brilliance in acts of murder in this addictive and twisted suspense novel by Canwen Xu, author of Boring Asian Female

Mia’s life is divided into two parts: before the accident and after the accident.

Before the accident, Mia was a piano prodigy. Starting at age five, she received first place trophies in every competition, performed at Carnegie Hall and graduated from Juilliard. Over the years, she developed a steady income stream through her popular social media channel, where she performed highly complex pieces and shared snippets of her polished life. Mia’s entire purpose revolved around the piano, and she was on her way to a promising career. Her mother couldn’t be prouder.

After the accident, everything changed. Mia’s left hand never fully recovered, forcing her to quit performing. Now she gives lessons to spoiled kids on the Upper East Side in their lavish homes and watches her friend Jessica’s piano videos, which suspiciously resemble Mia’s old ones. When Mia finds even more damning evidence that Jessica is copying her for her own success, she can’t fight the rage, and one night as her friend sits perched on a windowsill, Mia simply . . . pushes. Now Jessica can no longer copy her.

But in the aftermath, something surprising happens: for the first time in years, Mia composes. She feels a catharsis, a transcendence that inspires her to create a beautiful piece, with the notes and Jessica’s body crashing against each other in her head.

The feeling is addictive—and she doesn’t want to give it up.