Complicit

I had to read this when it came out because it felt ripped from the headlines. Sarah Lai has left behind her Hollywood dreams of filmmaking for a quieter, simpler life. But a journalist reaches out and drags her past to the forefront by asking questions about Sarah’s experiences working with a celebrated producer. There have been… complaints. From women. A lot of women.

Sound familiar? This is a wholly fictional take on past events, but it also forces the reader to examine the ways in which we might be complicit in holding up systems, and what we can do… show more.

I love this book because it doesn’t shy away from some of the most difficult truths about the film industry and the #MeToo movement. Li used to work in Hollywood and I think her personal experience shines through in both the sumptuous world-building and the intense, page-turning plotting.

For me, though, it’s the moral dilemmas at the heart of this story that make it so gripping. Powerful, enraging, and utterly thought-provoking, this is one of the best contemporary feminist thrillers.