In her latest novel, Audition, acclaimed author Katie Kitamura delivers a taut and introspective exploration of identity, power, and performance, blurring the lines between reality and the stage.
The story opens in a sleek Manhattan restaurant, where a woman meets a man half her age. The nature of their relationship is initially unclear — is he her lover, or her son? Kitamura capitalizes on this ambiguity, drawing readers into a psychological drama that evokes comparisons to iconic narratives like The Graduate, while simultaneously subverting their expectations.
At the center of the novel is an unnamed narrator, an actor of considerable repute, who is preparing for a demanding stage production. Offstage, she leads a seemingly quiet life in New York’s West Village with her husband, Tomas, an art historian. However, as the story unfolds, Kitamura introduces Xavier — the young man from the opening scene — and upends the reader’s assumptions about each character’s role.
Through shifting relationships and theatrical metaphors, Audition challenges conventional dynamics of power, gender, and age. Midway through the novel, the narrative undergoes a dramatic reversal, evoking the famous Rubin’s vase illusion — a visual that alternates between the image of a vase and two faces in profile. Kitamura uses this device as a thematic lens, emphasizing how perception and perspective shape both human relationships and self-understanding.
With spare prose and psychological depth, Audition cements Kitamura’s reputation as a master of subtle tension and layered storytelling. The novel ultimately reinforces the Shakespearean notion that “all the world’s a stage,” with each individual constantly shifting between roles — whether by choice or necessity.
Audition is published by Riverhead Books.
