Publishers Weekly
04/05/2021
Wang (Family Trust) leavens this glossy tale of corporate espionage with savvy takes on cultural assimilation in contemporary America. Julia Lerner, plucked from a Russian orphanage by intelligence agent Leo Guskov, has been groomed to infiltrate Silicon Valley social media giant Tangerine. Julia’s rise to COO—a position that gives her access to sensitive data on Tangerine’s billions of users—sounds an alarm for Alice Lu, a Chinese American member of Tangerine’s staff, who is mortified to discover that a data breach she flags in the company’s system is linked to Julia’s private account. Julia and Alice’s pas de deux drives the plot and gives Wang ample space to reflect on modern corporate attitudes toward gender, ethnicity, and the American dream’s appeal to socially disadvantaged members of minority groups and to foreign nationals who, in this case, work to undermine the very country whose values and opportunities they are eager to embrace (in their own ways, Julia and Leo develop a preference for the possibilities that America has to offer). The story builds to a number of dramatic moments that happen offstage, somewhat diminishing the dramatic impact, but Wang’s depictions of office politics and geopolitical dynamics are spot-on. This offers plenty of grist for reader rumination. Agent: Michelle Brower, Aevitas Creative Management (June)
From the Publisher
"Like John le Carré filtered through Tom Wolfe, Impostor Syndrome encapsulates our Facebook anxieties perfectly." — The Millions
"A skilled satirist of the Northern California dream." — Harper's Bazaar
"Satisfying...Wang sets the story in the overheated Silicon Valley and sharpens her teeth on its self-mythologizing and excesses." — San Francisco Chronicle
“A propulsive spy thriller and a sharp take on the illusion of the American Dream.” — People
“Excellent … Wang deftly explores some of the broader cultural issues she broached in Family Trust as well — how women and BIPOC are treated in corporate America, and who has access to the American dream.” — Buzzfeed
"Electrifying. ... You’ll be glued to the pages the entire time." — The Skimm
"[Wang] restyles Silicon Valley’s famed 'toxicity' around gender and race into actual poison and translates workplace politics into a caper of geopolitical consequence. Impostor Syndrome, like its two heroines, wears its greatness lightly." — New Republic
“A smart page-turner." — Oprah Daily
"The Silicon Valley spy novel we’ve all been waiting for, with a side order of biting satire and furious feminism." — CrimeReads
"Both an enticing thriller about two women playing a high-powered game of cat-and-mouse and a searing satire about the world of big tech companies." — Popsugar
"Impostor Syndrome is a trenchant critique of our dependence on social media - and a great page-turner." — Tahmima Anam, author of The Startup Wife
"A wickedly convincing deep-dive into the dark underbelly of Silicon Valley." — Ruth Ware
CrimeReads
"The Silicon Valley spy novel we’ve all been waiting for, with a side order of biting satire and furious feminism."
New Republic
"[Wang] restyles Silicon Valley’s famed 'toxicity' around gender and race into actual poison and translates workplace politics into a caper of geopolitical consequence. Impostor Syndrome, like its two heroines, wears its greatness lightly."
San Francisco Chronicle
"Satisfying...Wang sets the story in the overheated Silicon Valley and sharpens her teeth on its self-mythologizing and excesses."
Harper's Bazaar
"A skilled satirist of the Northern California dream."
Buzzfeed
Excellent … Wang deftly explores some of the broader cultural issues she broached in Family Trust as well — how women and BIPOC are treated in corporate America, and who has access to the American dream.
Popsugar
"Both an enticing thriller about two women playing a high-powered game of cat-and-mouse and a searing satire about the world of big tech companies."
Oprah Daily
A smart page-turner."
The Skimm
"Electrifying. ... You’ll be glued to the pages the entire time."
People
A propulsive spy thriller and a sharp take on the illusion of the American Dream.
The Millions
"Like John le Carré filtered through Tom Wolfe, Impostor Syndrome encapsulates our Facebook anxieties perfectly."
San Francisco Chronicle
"Satisfying...Wang sets the story in the overheated Silicon Valley and sharpens her teeth on its self-mythologizing and excesses."
Cathi Hanauer
"Kathy Wang’s knowledge is vast, her observations dazzling and impeccable. I sucked down this book in a two-day binge, barely leaving my chair."
Marie Claire
"If you're looking for a story about women in tech with a dose of Russian espionage, you'll enjoy Kathy Wang's Impostor Syndrome."
Lou Berney
"Kathy Wang’s IMPOSTOR SYNDROME is a smart, ambitious, and hugely original novel that succeeds on every level. It’s part gripping spy thriller, part sharp-eyed Silicon Valley satire, part nuanced character study – and fully, deeply entertaining every step of the way."
Andrew Sean Greer
A globe-trotting, whirlwind, tragi-comic family saga that wrings tears from absurdity and laughter from loss. A joy to read from start to finish.
NPR on Family Trust
"Family Trust is a captivating read...at its best when it's telling us a truth about Silicon Valley: that racism and greed operate here as well — no measure of assimilation or success can change that."
Book of the Week People
Guaranteed jackpot for book clubs.
Wired on Family Trust
"Wang’s characters never bought into the idea that tech is a meritocracy...Family Trust, on the other hand, is most deft when the competing demands of race, class, and gender intersect."
AARP on Family Trust
"Wang is a first-time novelist — but it's so appealing, warm and witty, we’re betting it’ll catch on in a big way."
Irish Times on Family Trust
"This novel is expert on the business world, its investors and sharks, with astute observations on the ambitions and social currency of one of the wealthiest parts of California. Silky in satire, the writing is biting, bristling, intelligent."
San Francisco Book Review on Family Trust
Set in a Silicon Valley that is as monstrous and absurd as it is true to life, Family Trust examines the nature of family loyalty and obligation as well as the choices that set lives on seemingly irreversible courses.
Library Journal
06/04/2021
This latest from Wang (Family Trust) takes the spy novel into Silicon Valley, with mixed results. Having been placed in an orphanage by her widowed mother, Julia Lerner is hand-picked by Leo Guskov of Russia's State Protection Bureau for the express purpose of infiltrating an American tech giant. Leo's plan succeeds, as Julia rises to COO of Tangerine (an all-knowing behemoth with Google-esque capabilities to addict users and track their behavior) with a hapless husband and tiring baby in tow for appearances' sake. Julia comes to embrace her prominent role, her family, and her American-ness, frustrating Leo. Julia's clandestine data breaches spark the interest of Alice Lu, a Tangerine worker bee who isn't sure why the head of her company is being flagged during a routine server checkup and is less sure how hard she should try to find out. Wang's novel is at its penetrating best during these chapters, with trenchant observations on cultural assimilation and the role of women in the tech economy. The tradecraft is less compelling, playing out in a predictable way. VERDICT A smart character study for fans of Dave Eggers's The Circle looking for a different perspective.—Michael Pucci, South Orange P.L., NJ
