Sarah Lai, a lifelong cinephile, works as a screenwriting professor at the local mediocre community college. She has given up her aspirations of becoming a producer in Hollywood after spending six years of her life as an associate producer. Sarah worked constantly to achieve her dream, and just maybe to get out from the shadow of her mentor, Sylvia, the owner of the production company. She has aspirations of being a producer herself, having tasted a bit of success and the party scene behind the camera. Sarah now wishes she could just forget the trauma, regret, and guilt that have plagued her since that time. A writer from the New York Times contacts her and asks about her experience working with Hugo North, the billionaire English real estate mogul/executive film producer who bankrolled the movie for their small company, then slowly took it over. He even changed the name of the company from Firefly Films to (notice the irony) Conquest Films. Hoping for a bit of vengeance for the trauma suffered at the hands of North, Sarah agrees to tell the reporter her story. However, opening up to him means that Sarah must face her own demons and the complicit part she played.

A brilliantly written, timely book in the #metoo era, this stark reveal of the seedy underbelly and sexual abuses by the rich and powerful men of Hollywood smacks of the Cosbys, Lauers, and Weinsteins in the world. These privileged few get what they want when they want it, no matter the cost, or the ruin left behind when the latest conquest has been discarded. When money can’t buy it, North uses mental, verbal, and sexual means of abuse as a way to get what he wants, doling out NDAs and (not so) subtle threats for silence afterwards. Winnie M. Li’s book is a powerful, taut, relevant, suspenseful, riveting take on the power and corrupt side of the rich, entitled, and powerful men of Hollywood, and also about the women who knew and stayed silent or looked the other way. It’s a page-turning suspense, a stunning reflection on the industry giants brought down by the incredibly brave women who had the strength to stand up and tell their stories. Ms. Li is one of these strong women, and is emotionally speaking through these pages from a position of intimate knowledge. Trigger warning for sexual abuse.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Winnie M. Li, and Emily Bestler Books/Atria for the ability to read and review this ARC.

Winnie M Li’s novel Complicit considers the legacy of a decision made to ignore warning signs, to be silent, to omit to speak out.


This is a #MeToo story and involves sexual assault and it’s aftermath. It is shocking to know that one out of four women have been victims of sexual violence. It’s a character-driven, page turner of a story with a slow burn that takes readers into the film industry’s nuts and bolts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. This was wayyyyy to slow. I like fast paced thrillers. At least if it is not fast paced, let something happen. The first 60 percent. of the book did not have anything interesting or a twist to keep my interest. This was not for me.

I almost didn’t finish this one. The first 65% of it is really slow and pretty boring as the main character retells her Hollywood story to a journalist (who I totally pictured as Ronan Farrow.) It picks up and gets more interesting at this point as you move toward the #metoo aspects, but it’s a long way to get there. I think this was another marketing fail on Netgalley because I had it shelved as a thriller and it is not a thriller. I kept waiting for some major plot twist and it never came as everything fell into place just exactly as you expect. The inside look at filmmaking/Hollywood and the Chinese American experience were interesting highlights.

Out today! [Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Sarah Lai has spent the past ten years recovering from the unexpected derailment of her career in film. But when a journalist reaches out to discuss the events of her path, Sarah will finally have the opportunity to be heard.

COMPLICIT reeled me in from the very first chapter. The writing was stunningly beautiful and memorable, with a plot that unfurled painstakingly to reveal more nuance on every page. The structure of the novel—mostly a story told by the main character, Sarah, to journalist Thom Gallagher—was extremely engaging as well.

I will note that I don’t necessarily consider this a thriller—to me, it’s more a literary suspense mixed with something that entirely defies genre categorization. But whatever it is, it was gut-wrenching in the best way. And, while there are numerous nods to real-life stories and figures, ultimately COMPLICIT tells a story that feels like it is adding something new to an ongoing conversation rather than rehashing existing tropes or storylines.

If you’re looking for non-stop action or mind-bending twists, this book isn’t the one to pick up. But if you want a quiet, important, poignantly told story that weaves together everything from misogyny and rape culture to the immigrant experience and the intricacies of complicated power dynamics, go grab this one right now.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: literary suspense; dark side of Hollywood stories; beautiful prose.

CW: Misogyny; sexual assault/rape/sexual harassment; drug use/abuse.

Although not a mystery or thriller, Complicit by Winnie li is a poignant and informative novel about the treatment of women (including women of color) in Hollywood. It is a tale within a tale — former film producer Sarah Lai is being interviewed by Thom Gallagher, a reporter for the NYT, for a #metoo story about Hugo North, a revolting producer with whom Sara worked. Many have described the novel as a “slow burn,” but I found it to be a more thorough description of how and why the film industry works as it does and the many ways in which women are exploited within the system. The novel also does a good job showing how the issue of “blame” is not an easy one as women have also been complicit in seeing but not going far enough to make sure that the sexual harassment and sexual assault stop. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Complicit is the story of a young woman teaching screenwriting at a college. She is contacted by Thom an NY Times reporter wanting to interview her about Hugo North.

Sarah agrees and meets with him over several weeks to tell "her" story which begins when she graduates from college looking to start her career behind the camera in the film industry. She eagerly begins as an unpaid intern working for Sylvia Zimmerman, a producer and owner of the company. She quickly proves herself and becomes an assistant producer. Her new job is working the script by Xander Schultz, a director. Trying to raise money in order to make the film they form a partnership with extremely wealthy Hugo North.

Sarah slowly tells the story of what happened during that time frame in her own way, worrying about disclosing to much. Sarah will eventually disclose all to Thom, who will in turn write the story to be published.

This story is wonderfully written, slowly weaving back and forth from the present to the past. This is a relatable story in which people of power use to get what they want. Because they always have gotten away with it, they expect they always will. When people are young and inexperienced they often are unprepared on how to deal with these situations in life. It is easy to see how Sarah reacted and was left unprotected by the people who should have known better especially but not exclusively in this industry.

I think this story is told well, as there are no winners. We know who the villains are and we cringe along the way as we see where it is going. The ending is a bit odd and unexpected. I had hoped for something else, but in the end it is about moving on with life.

This one just didn’t work for me. I think it was a little too long and drawn out. I felt like I waited for such a long time for anything to happen, too much lead up to any excitement that I just got bored waiting

This novel, about a young Asian woman working in the film industry, reads a lot like a fictionalization of the Harvey Weinstein story. The narrative takes a frame format, in which most of the book consists of the narrator, Sarah, telling a New York Times reporter (who seems a bit inspired by Ronan Farrow) the story of her rise in the film industry and her encounters with Hugo North, the Weinstein-inspired character.

If you've read Farrow's book Catch and Kill, listened to his podcast, or read She Said, by NYT reporters Jodi Kantor and Meghan Twohey, Sarah's story will sound eerily familiar. The title, "Complicit" refers to the fact that all these books suggest that many people, women included, had to look the other way and even offer up others as victims in order to preserve their careers and/or their own physical safety. It's a compelling story, but I feel that the real life stories were even more chilling and impactful. I did like Sarah's account of being an outsider in the industry due to her race (and gender, to some extent) and how the misogynistic Hollywood system protects its own.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Winnie M Li for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review!**

Lights. Camera. Scandal!

This timely tale, set in the era of #MeToo has all the makings of a sordid, pulse-pounding tale...but ambles into more timid territory...and unfortunately, 400 pages later, doesn't stray far from there.

Sarah Lai's Hollywood ambitions began with a love of film...and have now landed her as a lecturer to aspiring screenwriters at a no-name university. Her humble beginnings as a child of two Chinese immigrants running a restaurant are far behind her...and so is her illustrious self-made career as an associate producer. Despite the brief brush with significant fame and acclaim, Sarah now prefers to keep this chapter of her life under wraps.

Her secrecy is broken, however, when New York Times reporter Thom approaches her for her recollection of working with famed British director Hugo North...and all the memories come flooding back...and pouring out. Secrets so long buried, but nowhere near forgotten, Thom gives Sarah the opportunity and the power to break her silence and use her voice to peel back the curtain and tell the world what REALLY happened with Hugo, so long ago. But exactly how much is Sarah hiding? Can she tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...without implicating herself?

First off, a general warning: THIS IS NOT A MYSTERY/THRILLER. The cover may lead you to believe it is, the blurb indicates that it is, and the narrative itself ALLUDES to a mystery...but there is no mystery here. You know who the 'perpetrator' is from early on and have some inkling of what went on from pretty early on as well...and no 'fast one' is going to come in later to blind you. This is a domestic-style drama entrenched in the world of #MeToo, plain and simple.

Complicit is also a slow burn...a VERY slow burn. I loved Sarah's character at the beginning of the book, and was engrossed quickly as she taught her college class, but as soon as the plot bounced over to her interactions with Thom the journalist, it slows to a crawl and stays at that speed until the end. Part of this is due to the fact that Sarah goes through her ENTIRE FILM CAREER from start to finish, from her early days and struggles to become part of the industry, to her work with Hugo North. etc. Her early days were actually interesting to hear about for a while, but I can't imagine anyone actually sitting there and listening to SO MUCH extraneous detail about her life and career unless they were writing a biography of Sarah Lai...which is not what was happening here.

...Not to mention the big 'event' doesn't happen until you are 70 PERCENT of the way through the book. And even then, the 'big secrets' alluded to earlier in the novel don't happen until even LATER than that (and were hardly worth the big, dramatic buildup, once they were revealed)

Li is a huge cinephile (and of course, so is our MC Sarah) and that was very evident in her writing. She goes through the ins and outs of everything about the film industry (some of which will seem needlessly expository if you're at all familiar with the basics) and honestly, the material seems better suited for non-fiction. Lai knows her stuff and her background is clear, but I don't think all of this detail made for engrossing fiction. She also hammers home Sarah's background ad nauseum: yes, we know she's hardworking and an immigrant, often feels invisible, etc. etc. These are important facets of her character, and that's understandable...but as a reader, we don't REALLY need to be told this information over and over. SHOWING this struggle would have been more effective, and certainly more captivating.

She also hammers home the toxicity of the power dynamics/general misogyny/#MeToo problems in Hollywood. Again....we get it. Everyone who is even slightly familiar with what has been coming to light in recent years understands the kind of utterly deplorable conduct that has gone on and how it has both sullied the industry and permanently ruined lives. This is an IMPORTANT and horrible topic...but as a reader, I don't feel that I really learned anything or got any insight I didn't already have. I was hoping to get more out of it or to FEEL more. than I actually did. Li's chapters also have a tendency to end abruptly and randomly, with no rhyme or reason, so this was again an opportunity to leave the reader with something specific to ponder that was ultimately missed.

Li also leaves us with a bit of a sappy ending, which I think was meant to be hopeful, but just didn't feel like it fit. This was a book brimming with potential, but in a fitting bout of irony...I think in this case I'd rather see the movie.

3.5 stars

Much like with Ella Berman's The Comeback, Complicit

A stunning portrayal of the #metoo movement in Hollywood from a female perspective. Sarah Lai loves film and is so excited to be an associate producer in a production company. Nevermind that the small scale operation of Firefly Productions was basically taken over by Hugo North, a British real estate mogul. He has renamed it Conquest and has upped their game w/ his billions. But with the money comes an entitlement in Hugo that he thinks he's earned. Lavish parties, drugs and straight up assault. Sarah barely gets away from her own assault and then feels guilty for not helping out the other women around her. She leaves the movie business with sour memories and ends up teaching screenwriting at a community college.
10 years after, the NY Times comes calling and Sarah finally has a chance to set the record straight and ease her guilty conscience. But will she overcome the fear of standing up to her assailant and finally evening the playing field?

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an e-arc of this novel.*

Complicit is about Sarah Lai's story about working in the film industry as a young professional. She is now in her late 30s and a college lecturer. The Me Too movement has sparked many to come forward and she is approached by a famous journalist who asks for her story. The story moves a little slowly, but was fascinating. I wouldn't really call this a thriller, but an examination and confrontation of the parts we play when bad things happen. It makes you ponder how the film industry has created an environment where unequal power dynamics thrive and bad behavior is practically encouraged. Recommended if you're interested in understanding how the film industry works and has harbored so many predators.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Sarah Lai is a college lecturer who teaches introductory classes in screenwriting to Gen Zers who have perhaps more confidence than talent. She hates her job and is mostly contemptuous of her students, but views it as being at least better than working in her parents’ Chinese restaurant. Once upon a time, she thought she’d found a way out of all this drudgery, escaping the East Coast altogether for the bright hot glamor of Hollywood, till a harrowing sequence of experiences sent her running home, looking for safety in anonymity.

But now an email has landed in her inbox, threatening to thrust her into the limelight and turn her world upside down once more. Thom Gallagher is a celebrated investigative reporter for the New York Times, and he wants to ask Sarah a few questions about her relationship with the wealthy and powerful film producer Hugo North.

Just seeing that name again makes her stomach turn, but she cautiously agrees to talk to Thom. Being a good reporter, he knows how to listen patiently as Sarah tells her story, starting with her own background as a movie-loving kid who defied her parents’ expectations to study English at Columbia before jumping on the chance to intern at Firefly Films. The small production company is essentially a one-woman show whose main focus seems to be in advancing the career of photographer and director Xander Schulz. Sylvia Zimmerman, the owner of Firefly, is a hard but mostly fair boss, and Sarah works her butt off to impress her. All that hard work seems to pay off when they finally find a moneybags investor in the larger than life Hugo.

But the more time Sarah spends with Hugo, the more uncomfortable she gets. It’s not just that he keeps veering between taking too much of an interest in her and dismissing her contributions entirely. She’s used to getting the short end of the stick from Xander and Sylvia, even though her years of hard work have finally earned her the title of Associate Producer. Hugo, on the other hand, takes both the privilege and insecurity of being Executive Producer to a whole other level, even in an industry notorious for that kind of thing:

QUOTE
[T]ake that whole jumble of egos and add a producer to the mix. Well, the producer is the one who’s <i>really</i> responsible for a film coming into existence. But no one ever cares about producers. We’re those nameless entities who only emerge out of the crowd to receive a Best Picture Oscar each year, and then vanish again. <i>No one</i> goes to see a film because of who’s producing it.

So you have all these tensions of who’s stroking whose ego, who sees themselves as most responsible for the film’s success, and who’s getting recognized for their contributions. It’s messy.
END QUOTE

Sarah can handle messy. After all, she’s one of those people who’s more than willing to do all the scut work, pushing all her resentments down in the belief that once she’s become successful everyone else will have no choice but to acknowledge her brilliance. That all changes when Hugo’s hot and cold attitude turns into straight up bullying before finally erupting in violence. Sarah quits the film industry soon after, unable to face up to what happened and her own role in the proceedings.

As Sarah begins to open up to Thom about her experiences, she’s overcome by a welter of emotions. Being able to talk about what happened brings up all the rage and grief she’s suppressed, as she can finally let go of years of unhappiness and the bitterness that sprang up in its wake. She even grows bold enough to demand of her interviewer:

QUOTE
“You know what about sexual assault makes it so dehumanizing?” I ask, defiant.

“What?” Thom replies. “Tell me.”

Because it reduces you, a woman, down to simply that: sexual meat for the desires of someone else. Everything that comprises you as an individual–your intelligence, your talent, your education, your years of experience, or an entire lifetime spent idolizing movies–all that is obliterated the moment you are unwillingly pushed up against a wall, grabbed, manhandled, or worse. It is a simple elimination of yourself as an actual person, with anything worthwhile to say.
END QUOTE

But Sarah has her secrets. Even with her newfound openness and the relief it brings, can she bring herself to talk about the worst thing that happened while she was working with Hugo, and the guilt she still carries over it?

This timely novel examines sexual predation in the film industry and the way it derails careers and ruins lives. The genius of this book lies in how, despite its unlikeable protagonist and her occasionally gross attitudes towards other women, it deftly drives home not only how no one deserves to be sexually assaulted but also how keeping quiet about sexual assault rarely serves the public good.

Winnie M Li is a rape survivor and activist with a background in film herself, hence the realistically absorbing behind-the-scenes details of filmmaking in addition to the frank examination of sexual politics and violence. While Complicit is a work of fiction, it rings true in every infuriating and ultimately cathartic page.

Interesting story about the saga of a girl who’s dream it is to work on movies. She has been fascinated since she was a child. At one point she gets her big break and retells her story of what she experienced.

In many ways this is a familiar, too familiar tale of abuse of power. Sarah is finally talking about her time working for Hugo North, Hollywood powerhouse and incredible creep. Thom, the journalist who is hearing her out, provides a good frame for her as she works through her own involvement- indeed, complicity- in Hugo's bad behavior. It's more than bad behavior. This was more interesting for the different take on the topical issue than for the examination of assault in Hollywood. Sarah is the child of Chinese immigrants and she's a behind the scenes player who was fresh out of college when she went to work for Hugo. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Topical.

Complicit tells the story of Sarah Lai and her experiences in the movie industry a decade ago. She tells about the “casting couch” and how it was an almost accepted part of the movie industry. The story is beautifully told, but it was not for me. I went into the book because it was marketed as a thriller( however, I did not have any thrills. From the beginning, it was obvious what the book was about and there was no mystery or tense moments that I think of when reading a thriller. With that being said, Li is an excellent storyteller. I enjoyed reading about Sarah’s experiences in the movie industry from the perspective of an Asian American.

This review will be posted on August 9, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This novel rips back the curtain on Hollywood and how movies get made. I have to say: the film industry and its culture don't come off positively in this, but it has only itself to blame. Through Sarah's (an Asian American woman and former producer) recitation of her story to a famous investigative journalist, the novel explores how the industry silently excuses and turns a blind eye to bad behaviors (ranging from abuse of power to sexual assault). It's a very slippery slope from staying out of what isn't your business to fully ignoring toxic and harmful actions. It illustrates the dangers of a culture that allows unchecked power, one that fosters oppressive and cutthroat behaviors because of how competitive it is to get to a position of authority (especially for women and most especially for BIPOC women). However, I thought a lot of the detail on how movies are made was interesting, but bordered on excessive. (I found myself skimming several paragraphs of film making detail. It just didn't add anything to the story for me and I didn't miss reading it in detail.) Finally, though billed as a thriller, please don't expect a traditional thriller. Instead, this is a slow-burning scorcher with nuance and quiet understated power. Once I got sucked into Sarah's story, I couldn't put it down. #Complicit Rating: somewhere between 🙂 / liked it and 😊 / really liked it
•
This book is scheduled for publication on August 16, 2022. Thank you @atriabooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book annoying to read. The author made many references to white privilege and "woke" references like "Latinx". The story was based on the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which should be interesting and thought provoking. Not this author, her main character was whiney and judgmental and, in the end, feels vindicated when she tells her story 10 years after the fact. The "Me Too"" movement at its best!

Sarah’s character was well developed and complex and her story intriguing. I was able to read through this fairly well. It did seem to get in the weeds a bit about all the details of movie making and hollywood. What was with the unwarranted judgement towards other females? It is very well written, I just found some of the content as a turnoff.
Not a favorite of mine but overall I think it was worth the read. 3.5 rating

“What latest studio head or screen icon will find his past circling back on him? In horror films, there is the silent horde of the undead, dragging the villain down to a well-deserved fate.”

Winnie M Li’s second novel, Complicit is a post MeToo# tale mostly told from the point of view of Sarah Lai, a 39 year-old Chinese-American woman who teaches film at a NY community college. Once upon a time, Sarah bucked her Chinese restaurant owning parents’ ambitions for their daughter and launched herself into the film industry. But now, 10 years post that experience, Sarah has no ties to that period, except some memories and a tiny mention on IMDB. What went wrong?


Sarah loved film, and we wince while she teaches her mostly untalented students as they try to create screenplays. It’s clear that this job, although secure, is not what Sarah wanted. Sarah is contacted by New York Times journalist Thom Gallagher who wishes to interview her about her experiences with film mogul British billionaire Hugo North and actress Holly Randolph. Sarah admits to herself; “In some way, I knew it was coming.”

The novel takes the form of Sarah’s narrative and interview notes between Gallagher and various sources. When Thom interviews Sarah, she goes back in time to her early days in the film industry and her first ‘break’ when she worked initially as an unpaid intern for Sylvia Zimmerman, the owner of Firefly Films. While working at Firefly Films, Sarah met director Xander, a not untalented man whose loose script for the film A Hard Cold Blue, is carved into shape by Sarah. Sarah’s work load expands over the course of a few years moving from the title of PA and then AP. Xander’s film makes it to Cannes where it garners the attention of Hugo North. North is looking to invest and expand to the film industry, and so he buys into Firefly Films and instantly changes the name to Conquest Films.

But it’s not just the name of the company that changes. Domineering Hugo North loves to party and loves to break down inhibitions: so it’s cocaine and girls all the way. Xander is happy to be on board and Sarah, always the quiet one on the fringes, finds herself bowing to pressure, and joining in. In one memorable scene, Hugo and Xander flick through piles of photos of actresses for Xander’s next film. The moment, complete with crude comments, seems more about screening potential sex partners than actresses:

If you told two-hundred plus actresses that they would be summarily judged just like that, declared en masse to be inappropriate for a lead role, their hearts would be crushed. But aspiring actors never suspect the cold reality of the business, they’re too bewitched by the illusion that the industry peddles about itself: that if you’re talented enough and passionate enough, you’ll get your big break one day.

When production moves to LA, it’s fairly obvious where Sarah is headed, but the attraction of watching this slow train wreck does not lessen for that knowledge. A sticky web surrounds Sarah, but she thinks she has choices… well she does, but those choices will have unpleasant consequences which ever way she moves.

The tale, with its bitter, unsavory truths, unwinds through the memory of Sarah’s experiences. Hugo North is a vile man who gets what he wants, but then wants new toys. People like Hugo North do not exist in a vacuum. He throws money and coke at people and gets what he wants–if someone has moral scruples, no matter, there are plenty of people who don’t or who are willing to park their morals at the door and turn a blind eye. The title Complicit says it all, and I loved the way the author shows that no one comes out of this story without a stain.

There are those who turn a blind eye to events and others who known damn well what is going on but pretend otherwise. Some things we cannot bury, no matter how much we obscure them with gift bags and PR statements and smiling photographs. The truths live on, even though their traces can only be found if we’re looking: in the comments that were edited out, the glances in unpublished photos, the meetings that took place behind closed doors but were followed by strange silences. Or one-way messages, never returned,

So we are all seeing it now. I saw it then, too.

But I pretended I didn’t.

review copy