Cecilia
Published on 6. June 2024
Book
Hardback
144 pages
978-1-78730-434-5 (ISBN)
Description
'Thrillingly disorienting... ultra-sensual' GUARDIAN
'Hauntingly beautiful' GLAMOUR
'Rowdy and razor-sharp' ALEXANDRA KLEEMAN
An erotic, surreal novella about the ecstasies of intense friendships and obsessive love
Seven, who works as a cleaner at a chiropractor's office, re-encounters Cecilia, a woman who has obsessed her since their school days.
As the two of them board the same bus - each dubiously claiming not to be following the other - their chance meeting spurs a series of intensely vivid and corporeal memories. As past and present bleed together, Seven can feel her desire begin to unmoor her from the flow of time.
Smart, subversive and gripping, Cecilia is a winding, misty road trip through bodily transformation, inextricable histories of violence and love, and the ghosts of girlhood friendship.
'An intriguing tale of obsession...at once strange and erotic' ATTITUDE
PRAISE FOR K-MING CHANG
BESTIARY
'Chang's prose ravishes, ravages, rampages. An absolute lightning strike of a debut' Kelly Link
'To read K-Ming Chang is to see the world in fresh, surreal technicolour... wild and lyrical, visionary and touching' Sharlene Teo
'Fierce and funny, full of magic and grit' Tash Aw
GODS OF WANT
'Blisteringly alive and unapologetically queer' Guardian
'Strange, hilarious and unforgettable... a gift and a masterclass' Bryan Washington
'Chang rewrites the world as a place of radical transformation' New York Times Book Review
'Hauntingly beautiful' GLAMOUR
'Rowdy and razor-sharp' ALEXANDRA KLEEMAN
An erotic, surreal novella about the ecstasies of intense friendships and obsessive love
Seven, who works as a cleaner at a chiropractor's office, re-encounters Cecilia, a woman who has obsessed her since their school days.
As the two of them board the same bus - each dubiously claiming not to be following the other - their chance meeting spurs a series of intensely vivid and corporeal memories. As past and present bleed together, Seven can feel her desire begin to unmoor her from the flow of time.
Smart, subversive and gripping, Cecilia is a winding, misty road trip through bodily transformation, inextricable histories of violence and love, and the ghosts of girlhood friendship.
'An intriguing tale of obsession...at once strange and erotic' ATTITUDE
PRAISE FOR K-MING CHANG
BESTIARY
'Chang's prose ravishes, ravages, rampages. An absolute lightning strike of a debut' Kelly Link
'To read K-Ming Chang is to see the world in fresh, surreal technicolour... wild and lyrical, visionary and touching' Sharlene Teo
'Fierce and funny, full of magic and grit' Tash Aw
GODS OF WANT
'Blisteringly alive and unapologetically queer' Guardian
'Strange, hilarious and unforgettable... a gift and a masterclass' Bryan Washington
'Chang rewrites the world as a place of radical transformation' New York Times Book Review
Reviews / Votes
[A] thrillingly disorienting novella of queer love and intimate obsession... In this author's highly original voice, language writhes into new, ultra-sensual imaginings and leads us into an uncanny world where the familiar is made strange * Guardian * Chang continues to captivate with her lyrical prose and rich storytelling... Cecilia's intricate narrative structure and magical realism creates a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of emotions & experiences. Chang is an inventive voice that deserves to be heard * Glamour * Touched by magical realism and clearly influenced by the folklore of the author Chang's upbringing, this novel is at once strange and erotic, with the pairing's charged relationship leading to gripping consequences * attitude * Rowdy and razor-sharp, luminescent and enchanting, K-Ming Chang is an utter master of the strange intimacies of the body -- Alexandra Kleeman If you're not reading K-MIng Chang, then what are you reading?... A surreal cascade of girlhood memories about desire, queerness, and obsession. Cecilia is at once erotic and repulsive, carnal and tasty. In a word: delicious * Literary Hub * Erotic and strange, captivating and twisted: This one's for the freaks (complimentary) * Bustle * Chang explores the ways in which the body can elicit both desire and disgust, and offers an original look at the volatility of a teen friendship. It's another high-water mark from a prolific and provocative author * Publishers Weekly * The work of reading this book leaves the reader with the same feeling one has after eating a particularly indulgent meal-satiation, with the knowledge of more hunger to come * Kirkus Reviews *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
232 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78730-434-5 (9781787304345)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
K-Ming Chang is a Kundiman fellow, a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and an O. Henry Prize winner. She is the author of the novel Bestiary, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and Gods of Want, which won the Lambda Literary Award.