DECEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
The story may be fiction, but listeners will feel like they’re hearing true crime—so captivating are the performances of narrators Greta Jung and Glenn Davis. The mystery involves Grace Park, a sheltered Korean pharmacist, and Shawn Matthews, who find their lives intertwined following a horrendous crime that rocks Los Angeles, where they both live. The result is a gripping story with two compelling characters whose lives and challenges are brought to life by Jung and Davis. Their narrations complement each other in tone, delivery, and style. No matter the scene, listeners will feel as though they are experiencing each character’s emotions, especially during the powerful ending. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
A marvel. Cha finds new angles on a city that has been the focus of myriad stories and films. Unique and totally gripping.” — Michael Connelly
“Taut . . . A dramatic page-turner . . . A deep dive into Los Angeles’ racial underbelly and tensions. It’s a timely book that showcases two cultures and two families forced to confront injustice, enduring anger, and profound loss.” — Los Angeles Times
“Impassioned. . . . [Cha] dives so deep into her characters because she believes that communicating their nuances across racial lines is essential. . . . A page-turner.” — USA Today
“Intricately structured. . . . A novel rich with incident and social observation.” — Wall Street Journal
“A mastery of form, Cha absolutely nails it. . . . It is absolutely brilliant and it keeps the pages turning.” — Today Show
“Elegant, suspenseful.” — The New York Times Book Review
“A propulsive, well-told, and most important of all, well-researched journey of two families. . . . Cha’s writing is memorable and often poetic.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Riveting. . . . Engrossing. . . . Cha unflinchingly delves into the complex emotions that drive families, violence, and the need to survive. Your House Will Pay sets a new high for the talented Cha.” — Associated Press
“Compelling and risk-taking. . . . That Cha is drawn to contend with voices that don’t strictly represent her cultural heritage, while taking head-on one of the most devastating events in Los Angeles history, is admirable as well as ambitious. Cha is a remarkably generous writer.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
"Bracing." — Entertainment Weekly
“This L.A. noir mystery ties past and present together without resorting to easy answers.” — Washington Post
“ An explosive story of race, identity, and violence.” — Bustle
“Focusing on the lives of two Los Angelenos, Cha’s crime novel steps back from her usual superb P.I. books to go deeper, examining the tensions between the Korean-American and African-American communities.” — Boston Globe
“[A] gripping thriller set during a racially charged moment in L.A.’s history.” — Refinery 29
“[Cha] understands the messiness of justice and the complexity of human interaction. . . . One of the pleasures of the book is how deftly Cha renders so many layers of Los Angeles society. . . . All of this is related unsentimentally and is refreshingly depicted.” — Alta
“Gripping, incendiary. . . . An incisive and searing look at race relations, violence, and the intersection of disparate traumas. It’s a riveting, revelatory novel—a must-read.” — Nylon Magazine
“It’s an extremely delicate subject matter, and Cha does a masterful job imbuing each character with nuance and care.” — Buzzfeed
“A propulsive and well-plotted novel set in Los Angeles where crime and tension are at an all-time high.” — The Millions
“Powerful. . . . Unforgettable.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Gripping, thoughtful. . . . May well be [Cha’s] breakout novel.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Ambitious. . . . Timely, morally complex.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A riveting thriller. . . . Shrewd.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay has got it all. This suspense-filled page-turner about murder, repentance, and forgiveness draws from the fraught history of Los Angeles, where America’s immigrant dream bleeds into America’s racist nightmare. The novel would have been relevant thirty years ago. It will likely be relevant thirty years in the future.” — Viet Thanh Nguyen, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
“Steph Cha has taken a dark moment in Los Angeles’s violent history and cracked it wide open, creating a prism of understanding. . . . A touching portrait of two families bound together by a split-second decision that tore a hole through an entire city.” — Attica Locke, Edgar-Award winning author of Bluebird, Bluebird
“A haunting portrait of two lives, and a city, in turmoil, Your House Will Pay is both a crackling page-turner and a deeply felt work of eloquence and devastating insight. Riveting—Steph Cha firmly establishes herself as one of crime fiction’s most exciting voices.” — Elizabeth Little, author of Dear Daughter
“Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay is extraordinary, a deeply-felt and sharply-observed exploration of the ties the bind, and divide, family, community, and nation. It’s moving, compelling, surprising, funny, explosive, and deeply human—an unforgettable novel.” — Lou Berney, author of November Road
“A gripping and deftly plotted story of two families, and two communities, set in the aftermath of a police shooting in Los Angeles. Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay is a sensitive portrait of racial tension, buried memory, and the difficulty of reconciliation.” — Laila Lalami, author of The Other Americans
“A propulsive, lacerating novel about two families caught in the turmoil of a city and nation in crisis. Fearless, insightful, and alight with a brutal compassion, Your House Will Pay is a devastating exploration of grief, shame, and deeply buried truths.” — Catherine Chung, author of The Tenth Muse
“Steph Cha fearlessly explores the duality of LA’s promise and betrayal, its vision of new beginnings and the brutal divisions that cut between race and class. Cha takes her place as one of the city’s most eloquent storytellers in this soul-searching illumination.” — Walter Mosley, Edgar-winning author of Down the River Unto the Sea
Entertainment Weekly
"Bracing."
USA Today
Impassioned. . . . [Cha] dives so deep into her characters because she believes that communicating their nuances across racial lines is essential. . . . A page-turner.
Los Angeles Review of Books
Compelling and risk-taking. . . . That Cha is drawn to contend with voices that don’t strictly represent her cultural heritage, while taking head-on one of the most devastating events in Los Angeles history, is admirable as well as ambitious. Cha is a remarkably generous writer.
Michael Connelly
A marvel. Cha finds new angles on a city that has been the focus of myriad stories and films. Unique and totally gripping.
|Los Angeles Times
Taut . . . A dramatic page-turner . . . A deep dive into Los Angeles’ racial underbelly and tensions. It’s a timely book that showcases two cultures and two families forced to confront injustice, enduring anger, and profound loss.
The New York Times Book Review
Elegant, suspenseful.”
Wall Street Journal
Intricately structured. . . . A novel rich with incident and social observation.”
Today Show
A mastery of form, Cha absolutely nails it. . . . It is absolutely brilliant and it keeps the pages turning.”
Associated Press
Riveting. . . . Engrossing. . . . Cha unflinchingly delves into the complex emotions that drive families, violence, and the need to survive. Your House Will Pay sets a new high for the talented Cha.
San Francisco Chronicle
A propulsive, well-told, and most important of all, well-researched journey of two families. . . . Cha’s writing is memorable and often poetic.”
The Millions
A propulsive and well-plotted novel set in Los Angeles where crime and tension are at an all-time high.
Buzzfeed
It’s an extremely delicate subject matter, and Cha does a masterful job imbuing each character with nuance and care.
Laila Lalami
A gripping and deftly plotted story of two families, and two communities, set in the aftermath of a police shooting in Los Angeles. Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay is a sensitive portrait of racial tension, buried memory, and the difficulty of reconciliation.
Washington Post
This L.A. noir mystery ties past and present together without resorting to easy answers.
Lou Berney
Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay is extraordinary, a deeply-felt and sharply-observed exploration of the ties the bind, and divide, family, community, and nation. It’s moving, compelling, surprising, funny, explosive, and deeply human—an unforgettable novel.
Walter Mosley
Steph Cha fearlessly explores the duality of LA’s promise and betrayal, its vision of new beginnings and the brutal divisions that cut between race and class. Cha takes her place as one of the city’s most eloquent storytellers in this soul-searching illumination.
Alta
[Cha] understands the messiness of justice and the complexity of human interaction. . . . One of the pleasures of the book is how deftly Cha renders so many layers of Los Angeles society. . . . All of this is related unsentimentally and is refreshingly depicted.
Nylon Magazine
Gripping, incendiary. . . . An incisive and searing look at race relations, violence, and the intersection of disparate traumas. It’s a riveting, revelatory novel—a must-read.
Attica Locke
Steph Cha has taken a dark moment in Los Angeles’s violent history and cracked it wide open, creating a prism of understanding. . . . A touching portrait of two families bound together by a split-second decision that tore a hole through an entire city.
Booklist (starred review)
Gripping, thoughtful. . . . May well be [Cha’s] breakout novel.
Refinery 29
[A] gripping thriller set during a racially charged moment in L.A.’s history.”
Elizabeth Little
A haunting portrait of two lives, and a city, in turmoil, Your House Will Pay is both a crackling page-turner and a deeply felt work of eloquence and devastating insight. Riveting—Steph Cha firmly establishes herself as one of crime fiction’s most exciting voices.
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay has got it all. This suspense-filled page-turner about murder, repentance, and forgiveness draws from the fraught history of Los Angeles, where America’s immigrant dream bleeds into America’s racist nightmare. The novel would have been relevant thirty years ago. It will likely be relevant thirty years in the future.
Catherine Chung
A propulsive, lacerating novel about two families caught in the turmoil of a city and nation in crisis. Fearless, insightful, and alight with a brutal compassion, Your House Will Pay is a devastating exploration of grief, shame, and deeply buried truths.
Boston Globe
Focusing on the lives of two Los Angelenos, Cha’s crime novel steps back from her usual superb P.I. books to go deeper, examining the tensions between the Korean-American and African-American communities.
Bustle
An explosive story of race, identity, and violence.”
Los Angeles Times
Taut . . . A dramatic page-turner . . . A deep dive into Los Angeles’ racial underbelly and tensions. It’s a timely book that showcases two cultures and two families forced to confront injustice, enduring anger, and profound loss.
USA Today
Impassioned. . . . [Cha] dives so deep into her characters because she believes that communicating their nuances across racial lines is essential. . . . A page-turner.
San Francisco Chronicle
A propulsive, well-told, and most important of all, well-researched journey of two families. . . . Cha’s writing is memorable and often poetic.”
Wall Street Journal
Intricately structured. . . . A novel rich with incident and social observation.”
Washington Post
This L.A. noir mystery ties past and present together without resorting to easy answers.
Nylon Magazine
Gripping, incendiary. . . . An incisive and searing look at race relations, violence, and the intersection of disparate traumas. It’s a riveting, revelatory novel—a must-read.
Washington Post
This L.A. noir mystery ties past and present together without resorting to easy answers.
Today Show
A mastery of form, Cha absolutely nails it. . . . It is absolutely brilliant and it keeps the pages turning.”
Bustle
An explosive story of race, identity, and violence.”
Associated Press
Riveting. . . . Engrossing. . . . Cha unflinchingly delves into the complex emotions that drive families, violence, and the need to survive. Your House Will Pay sets a new high for the talented Cha.
Alta
[Cha] understands the messiness of justice and the complexity of human interaction. . . . One of the pleasures of the book is how deftly Cha renders so many layers of Los Angeles society. . . . All of this is related unsentimentally and is refreshingly depicted.
Booklist (starred review)
Gripping, thoughtful. . . . May well be [Cha’s] breakout novel.
Los Angeles Review of Books
Compelling and risk-taking. . . . That Cha is drawn to contend with voices that don’t strictly represent her cultural heritage, while taking head-on one of the most devastating events in Los Angeles history, is admirable as well as ambitious. Cha is a remarkably generous writer.
Michael Connelly
A marvel. Cha finds new angles on a city that has been the focus of myriad stories and films. Unique and totally gripping.”
The New York Times Book Review
Elegant, suspenseful.”
Refinery 29
[A] gripping thriller set during a racially charged moment in L.A.’s history.”
Boston Globe
Focusing on the lives of two Los Angelenos, Cha’s crime novel steps back from her usual superb P.I. books to go deeper, examining the tensions between the Korean-American and African-American communities.
Los Angeles Times
Taut . . . A dramatic page-turner . . . A deep dive into Los Angeles’ racial underbelly and tensions. It’s a timely book that showcases two cultures and two families forced to confront injustice, enduring anger, and profound loss.
USA Today
Impassioned. . . . [Cha] dives so deep into her characters because she believes that communicating their nuances across racial lines is essential. . . . A page-turner.
The Millions
A propulsive and well-plotted novel set in Los Angeles where crime and tension are at an all-time high.
Entertainment Weekly
"Bracing."
Buzzfeed
It’s an extremely delicate subject matter, and Cha does a masterful job imbuing each character with nuance and care.
San Francisco Chronicle
A propulsive, well-told, and most important of all, well-researched journey of two families. . . . Cha’s writing is memorable and often poetic.”
DECEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
The story may be fiction, but listeners will feel like they’re hearing true crime—so captivating are the performances of narrators Greta Jung and Glenn Davis. The mystery involves Grace Park, a sheltered Korean pharmacist, and Shawn Matthews, who find their lives intertwined following a horrendous crime that rocks Los Angeles, where they both live. The result is a gripping story with two compelling characters whose lives and challenges are brought to life by Jung and Davis. Their narrations complement each other in tone, delivery, and style. No matter the scene, listeners will feel as though they are experiencing each character’s emotions, especially during the powerful ending. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
