The dark side of the mirror
by
“One thing needs to be made clear. I did not kill my twin sister.”
SO BEGINS LIANN ZHANG’s fiercely entertaining debut Julie Chan Is Dead. The novel charts the hair-raising fortunes of the eponymous narrator, an impoverished grocery store cashier, after she responds to an apparent cry for help from her estranged twin sister Chloe only to discover her dead from an apparent overdose. Chloe had it all: a swanky New York apartment, millions of online followers, and sponsorship deals generating untold wealth and more luxury freebies than anyone could possibly need. On the point of phoning 911, Julie has the crazy idea of faking her own death and stepping into her twin’s shoes for a taste of the high life. Only to discover a sinister underbelly beneath the glitzy facade, and people out there who see through her deception, and seek to profit from it for themselves…
Where are you now?
Toronto, Ontario.
Where and when do you do most of your writing?
Mostly at home and whenever I can. Since I’ve recently decided to take a stab at writing full-time, I do try to sit at my desk and type away during regular work hours. Oftentimes, it ends up bleeding into the night. Sometimes, I’ll have a strike of inspiration when I should be sleeping, and you’ll find my laptop perched on my knees while I’m rabidly writing in the dark!
If you have one, what is your pre-writing ritual?
I don’t have one.
How do you relax when you’re writing?
The process of starting to write is usually less relaxing for me. It’s almost like getting a vaccination. There’s this sense of dread at the beginning of the task that I keep wanting to procrastinate and avoid, but once I get into it, I realise it’s not that bad. I actually really enjoy writing, especially when I’m able to tap into a ‘flow state’. Time loses meaning when I’m absorbed in the craft. It then becomes the most relaxing thing I can do. Almost meditative.
How would you pitch your debut novel in up to 25 words?
A young woman steals her influencer twin’s identity after she dies, only to discover that her twin’s life is more sinister than it appears online.
What was your starting point for the novel? The insidious impacts of influencer culture, the dynamic between estranged twins, identity theft, or all the above and more?
Definitely the influencer culture aspect. As someone who was briefly a small-time influencer, I got to see the behind the scenes of everything and knew there was a juicy story to tell!
How much time do you spend on social media, compared to how much time you think you should?
Almost every spare minute where I’m not working, sleeping, out with friends or consuming some other form of media (ex. TV and books.). AKA, an awful lot! Usually, I clock in about four hours every day on social media apps, according to my phone’s data. In an ideal world, I’d only spend an hour every day. I think for someone like me, it’ll be difficult to completely purge social media. It’s how I message and connect with friends. It’s really interwoven with regular life now – simply unavoidable (or at least that’s what I think to make me feel better about my habits.)
How deep did you dive into influencer culture while writing the book, and did this have any unintended consequences?
I think a lot of the experiences I described were exaggerated versions of what I felt personally. As well, there are some particular scandals that I remember living through as a viewer and follower of influencers that I incorporated into my story. Since influencer and social media culture is so deeply ingrained in my everyday experience, I only had to peel back some of my personal thoughts to write this book.
Our society is built on pre-existing social structures that directly oppress certain groups and uplift others. While oppressed groups can eke themselves to the top, it’s never without sacrifice.”
What does influencer culture tell us about wider contemporary society, such as a self-perpetuating concentration of power and control among the wealthy elite, and the rise of dog-whistle populist politics?
I feel that many people have a false sense of autonomy online. It’s true that we get to dictate a lot of our own choices, and choose to platform and raise up certain people we agree with. But many people tend to forget that now we are operating under Techno-Feudal overlords. These big giants at Meta and Google (for example) are never operating in our best interest. Instead, they want to keep you clicking, keep you engaged, and profit from your attention and your information. Oftentimes, the best thing to keep you on their site is to upset you, or to radicalize you. To create discourse and conflict, which also give rise to dog-whistle politics.
But beyond that, online culture has been, and always will be, a mirror of society. Our society is built on pre-existing social structures that directly oppress certain groups and uplift others. While there are several instances where those from oppressed groups can eke themselves to the top, it’s never without sacrifice. Though the internet and social media create a facade of equity, when we really peel it down to it’s core, I believe you’ll find that it’s often not true. It’s all a mirage!
The original title was Follow Us. Tell us about the transition to Julie Chan Is Dead.
I had wanted to keep the original title. I felt it was conducive to some of the themes in the latter half of the book. But, my US/Canada team decided that it had poor searchability, and that a more unique name would grab more attention. So I scoured through my book to find some fun phrases and landed on Julie Chan Is Dead!
Who are your go-to writers for horror-tinged fun?
I love Mona Awad, Monika Kim, and recently Kylie Lee Baker put out a great horror novel about Covid.
Which book/s do you treasure the most?
Is it a cliché to say my own book? Haha, but in all seriousness, I really treasure East of Eden by John Steinbeck… it was one of the novels that got me back into reading as a teenager, and the first book I shed a tear at. I have a tattoo of a line from the book!
Which book/s have you most recently read and enjoyed?
A recent read I enjoyed is Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, and also Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley.
What’s on your bedside table or e-reader?
There are TOO many books to name. I unfortunately have the habit of buying way more books than I read. But right now, I’m reading It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished by Kate Gies and Buried Road by Katie Tallo.
Which books do you feel you ought to have read but haven’t yet?
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I’ve only read one Agatha Christie novel, but I really need to get on with it! Also, I have Carrie by Stephen King on my e-reader, and I know I’ll love it!
What is the last work you read in translation?
Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park.
What are you working on next?
A fun mystery/thriller about a True Crime podcaster who tries to stage a murder to gain back public relevance.
Imagine you’re the host of a literary supper, who would your dinner guests be (living or dead, real or fictional)?
Ooooh, Mona Awad, R.F. Kuang, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, Lisa Jewell, and my good friend and fellow debut author Rachel Phan for emotional support.
If you weren’t writing you’d be…?
Probably studying for grad school, which was my plan if writing didn’t pan out!
If you were the last person on Earth, what would you write?
A fabricated account of human history for later species to read and be fooled by.
Compiled and introduced by Mark Reynolds
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Liann Zhang is a second-generation Chinese Canadian who splits her time between Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. After a short stint as a skincare content creator, she graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in psychology and criminology. Julie Chan Is Dead is published by Raven Books in hardback and eBook.
Read more
liannzhang.com
instagram.com/theliannz
@BloomsburyRaven
Author photo by Claire Lam
