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THE INFLUENCERS

Anna-Marie McLemore

A Novel

Award-winning YA author Anna-Marie McLemore's first novel for adults, told in the collective voice of the online audience watching the family's every move, reminiscent of The Virgin Suicides, and in the vein of other compulsively readable family dramas, like The Family Fang and Dava Shastri's Last Day.
When May "Mother May I" Iverson's mansion burns down with her newlywed husband inside, friends, neighbors, media, and the Iversons' fans and enemies alike begin speculating and investigating faster than detectives.

May is a social media sensation, glamorous-yet-relatable, but the key to her enduring fame is her daughters, who featured in videos from their births through adorable childhoods, difficult adolescences, and terrible teens. But the girls are all grown up now, and their lingering anger and resentment from childhoods stolen by the camera have started to spill over into public view. April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over IP; June and July are influencers themselves, possibly threatening May's dominance; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and March...well, March has somehow completely disappeared.

Could it be one of the girls who murdered May's less-than-charming new groom? Or could online sweetheart Mother May I have killed the man she'd just recently married and then burned down her dream home to cover it up? Or could it be one of us, the fawning yet fickle mob of media consumers?

Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) is the author of William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist The Weight of Feathers; Wild Beauty; Blanca & Roja, one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time; Indie Next List title Dark and Deepest Red; Lakelore, an NECBA Windows & Mirrors title; and National Book Award longlist selections When the Moon Was Ours, which was also a Stonewall Honor Book; The Mirror Season; and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix. Their newest release is Venom & Vow, co-authored with Elliott McLemore, and their adult debut The Influencers is forthcoming from Dial Press in 2024.
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Published 2025-03-01 by Dial Press

Comments

McLemore uses a clever, collective point of view: various social audiences narrate a significant part of the book. Each Iverson gets a chance to speak as well, providing a view of this complex story from all angles.

Juicy, twisty, and full of ruthless details . . . Be careful who you unfollowthey just might kill you.

A witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged . . . A gorgeous, gloriously scathing story.

A murder mystery crossed with a cautionary tale about family, authenticity, and social media . . . Funny, heartbreaking, wonderfully written.

A stellar adult debut . . . McLemore writes a gimlet-eyed take on social media's infiltration of society, with a murder mystery as the novel's fulcrum. . . . A compelling read, rather like watching a train wreck. Recommend to fans of the Kardashians and novels like Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang.

The Kardashians meets Knives Outa murder mystery with slices of a Virgin Suicides Greek chorus . . . I whipped through it!

Brilliantly dissects the pressures of influencer culture, privacy, and power while exploring the complex dynamics of sisterhood . . . McLemore's voice and wit shine through, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a smart, subversive take on contemporary life. Gripping, cunningly plotted, and thought-provoking, The Influencers balances escapist fun with deep social commentary.

As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is sparedincluding the readersbut everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.