In 'Julie Chan Is Dead,' former influencer Liann Zhang takes a swipe at the industry

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: Julie Chan Is Dead by Lian Zhang

Host: Ayesha Roscoe
Author: Lian Zhang
Release Date: May 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Ayesha Roscoe delves into Lian Zhang's debut novel, "Julie Chan Is Dead." The conversation explores the novel's critique of influencer culture, character dynamics, and the author's personal experiences that shaped the story.

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Synopsis of Julie Chan Is Dead

Andrew Limbong introduces the novel as a satirical take on influencer culture, penned by Lian Zhang, a former skincare influencer herself. The story revolves around Julie Chan, who resides in a monotonous job scanning groceries and frequently mistaken for her famous identical twin, Chloe vanhusen—a renowned YouTuber. The twins were separated in childhood following their parents' deaths, leading to estrangement until a pivotal phone call from Chloe propels Julie into a daring and morally ambiguous act to assume her sister's glamorous life.

Key Plot Points:

• Twin Separation and Reunion: The twins are separated as children. Chloe is adopted by a wealthy white couple in New York City, while Julie remains with their aunt.
• Chloe's Disappearance: After a charity video where Chloe reunites with Julie and offers her a house, Chloe vanishes, prompting Julie to take drastic measures.
• Life Swap: Julie swaps lives with Chloe, inheriting her followers and the influencer lifestyle.

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Influencer Culture Critique

Lian Zhang articulates her nuanced perspective on influencer culture, acknowledging both its superficialities and the genuine connections it can foster.

Lian Zhang [00:35]: "Looking back at that world, yes, it can be shallow and vapid, but there’s also some real connections that can be made between you and your fellow influencers."

Zhang draws from her own teenage years as a skincare influencer, highlighting the allure and eventual hollowness of the scene.

Lian Zhang [05:16]: "It's a very conflicting relationship because I started this when I was a teenager... I never got as big as the influencers in my book because these people have millions and if I had millions, I probably would not have written this book."

She emphasizes that her experiences allowed her to portray the influencer world authentically, capturing both its glamour and its emptiness.

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Character Dynamics and Themes

The novel introduces Bella Marie, a central antagonist who embodies the toxic aspects of online popularity. Bella serves as the "it girl" of the internet and becomes Julie's guide into the influencer clique known as the Belladonnas—a name symbolizing beauty and toxicity.

Lian Zhang [03:37]: "Yes. It's like a very beautiful plant, but it's also toxic."

Zhang discusses how Bella initially appears friendly but gradually reveals her manipulative nature, reflecting the deceptive facades often present in online personas.

The Belladonnas group chat scene exemplifies the superficial support influencers offer each other, masking underlying tensions and insecurities.

Lian Zhang [04:35]: Reads a group chat where members offer platitudes to comfort Chloe while subtly undermining genuine emotional support.

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Narrative Twists and Horror Elements

A notable shift in the novel introduces a campy horror element set in a secretive island retreat. This setting becomes a metaphor for the deceptive allure of affluent escapism within influencer culture.

Lian Zhang [06:21]: "It's kind of like a locked room, but instead of a room they're in this gorgeous island where you feel like nothing can go wrong. But then everything does."

Zhang explains her fascination with how ostensibly perfect retreats could conceal dark undercurrents, questioning what actually transpires behind the curated social media moments.

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Character Development and Personal Transformation

A central theme is Julie's transformation through her immersion in the influencer lifestyle. While she gains fame and success, the change is not entirely positive or redemptive.

Lian Zhang [07:34]: "I think she is a changed person, although maybe not in the way that some people would like her to change... Some influencers... lose themselves to fit into a certain norm."

Julie’s journey reflects the loss of self that can accompany the pursuit of online fame, showcasing the complex interplay between personal identity and public persona.

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Author’s Personal Insights

Zhang candidly shares her experiences and motivations, providing depth to the novel's themes.

Lian Zhang [03:54]: "You know, in high school, I was briefly an influencer myself, a skinfluencer, as they used to say... there's almost an element of, like, echolalia between the groups."

She points out the repetitive and often superficial interactions within influencer circles, likening them to the hollow affirmations found in social media comments.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Julie Chan Is Dead serves as both a thrilling narrative and a poignant commentary on the influencer phenomenon. Zhang's personal experiences lend authenticity to her critique, while her storytelling navigates the fine line between satire and suspense. The novel invites readers to reflect on the true cost of online fame and the elusive quest for genuine connection in a digitally dominated world.

Notable Quotes:

• Lian Zhang [04:20]: Reads a group chat offering hollow comfort slogans, highlighting the superficiality of influencer support.
• Lian Zhang [07:34]: Discusses Julie's transformation and loss of self within the influencer framework.

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Julie Chan Is Dead promises to engage readers with its sharp observations and gripping plot, making it a standout addition to contemporary literary discussions on social media's impact on personal identity and relationships.

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This summary captures the essence of the NPR podcast episode, focusing on the main discussions and insights shared by Lian Zhang and Ayesha Roscoe, while omitting advertisements and non-content segments.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Today's novel Julie Chan is Dead is a bit of a send up of influencer culture. It comes from someone who knows a thing or two about that world. Lian Zhang spent her teen years trying to make it big as a skincare influencer. In this interview with NPR's Ayesha Roscoe, Zhang says she has complicated feelings. Looking back at that world, yes, it can be shallow and vapid, but the but there's also some real connections that can be made between you and your fellow influencers. That's ahead.

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[Ayesha Roscoe]

Julie Chan is in a dead end job scanning groceries and constantly getting mistaken for her. Chloe vanhusen, famous influencer and Julie's identical twin. They are somewhat estranged, separated as young children after the deaths of their parents. Two decades later, a mysterious phone call from Chloe leads Julie to make a bold, illegal and morally questionable move. That's the start of Lian Zhang's debut novel, Julie Chan is Dead. She's here now. Welcome to the program.

[Lian Zhang]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

This is the thing about the book. Julie Chan is not dead.

[Lian Zhang]

Chloe is.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Tell us how this happens.

[Lian Zhang]

Yeah. So basically one of them, Chloe, gets adopted by a very rich, affluent white couple in New York City and the other one goes to their aunt and they don't ever talk. Except for one moment when Chloe, who has become a famous YouTuber, does this quote unquote charity video where she reunites with her sister and gives her a house and afterwards disappears from her life again. And then Julie receives a call years later and she goes and discovers her twin sister dead. So she decides to swap lives and take her sister's life and all of her followers and all of her glamour for herself.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

It's a bold move to take over anyone's life. This is really complicated because Chloe is an influencer. She's trying to do those cycling classes. I wouldn't have made it. And then there's this clique that Chloe is a part of. Tell me about Bella Marie.

[Lian Zhang]

Yeah, Bella Marie kind of serves as one of, like, the main antagonists of the story, although she kind of starts out as a friend pretty early on. I think readers will catch on that there's just kind of a mysterious wrong vibe about her. But basically, she is kind of an it girl of the Internet. And it's someone that the main character, Julie, has known since childhood, you know, seeing her images on Tumblr and reblogging all her photos. And so when Julie gets inducted into this group of women that are influencers, she's so excited to be kind of led by Bella Marie, her Internet idol, essentially. Yeah.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

And the group is the Belladonnas. Is that a reference to the plant?

[Lian Zhang]

Yes. It's like a very beautiful plant, but it's also toxic. So.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You obviously take a swipe at influencer culture. But I loved the dialogue. It was spot on.

[Lian Zhang]

You know, in high school, I was briefly an influencer myself, a skinfluencer, as they used to say. And I did notice that a lot of the ways that they speak to each other, there's almost an element of, like, echolalia between the groups. And to me, it kind of is similar to how it might feel or sound if you were to pull up an Instagram photo and look through the comments. Thousands of people being like, wow, you're so beautiful. So beautiful. Gorgeous.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

We wanted to have you read, like, an example where they're in the group chat for the Belladonnas. It's called Hot Girls Only, of course. And they're trying to comfort so called Chloe because her twin has died.

[Lian Zhang]

Maya, I can suggest an amazing therapist. She's done heaven's work for my grief. Angelique, we're always here for you. Sophia. Think of all the positive memories you have of Julie. Lily, you're in my thoughts. Emmeline. I'm sorry for your loss, Kelly. We are our family. Anna even penned me a poem. Death. Everyone will face it at some point in time. Hope you feel better.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

There's a great line where someone's like, you know, inserting line breaks into sentences is not poetry. The poetry one is the best.

[Lian Zhang]

I'm glad you think so.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Did you like your time as a skincare content creator? Like, as a skinfluencer?

[Lian Zhang]

It's a very conflicting relationship because I started this when I was a teenager. I think I was 15, 16, because I had awful cystic acne and I would start reviewing product. I just wake up and there'd be like, free Stuff for me, like it's Christmas every day. I mean, I never got as big as the influencers in my book because these people have millions and if I had millions, I probably would not have written this book. I probably would have.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

You would have stayed in it?

[Lian Zhang]

Yeah, exactly. But it started to feel very superficial and at a certain point the novelty of free things kind of wears off and it just becomes like excess.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Not to give anything away, but there is this secretive island retreat and it does take a bit of a turn here. This gets into a little bit of like campy horror. There's some mysterious substances, possible animal sacrifice, cult like behavior, a mystical deity. What made you want to go into that territory?

[Lian Zhang]

Yeah, I mean, personally, I love when stories get like that. The island scenes and the island setting. I love the idea. It's kind of like a locked room, but instead of a room they're in this gorgeous island where you feel like nothing can go wrong. But then everything does. A lot of the times I would see influencers get sent out to, to these million dollar brand retreats to these gorgeous islands. And I always had the question in my mind. It's like they're gone for a whole week, but they only film one 30 minute video or two TikToks. What happens during all those hours that go unfilmed? Probably nothing. Probably they're tanning and having fun.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Or it could be much darker.

[Lian Zhang]

Yes, because that's where my brain goes. That's just what I think about.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

There does seem to be like a push and a pull in the book where, yes, this world can be very shallow, but there's also this idea of like sisterhood and being, you know, supported through hard times. And do you feel like Julie ultimately learns something from all of this and do you think she's a changed person?

[Lian Zhang]

I think she is a changed person, although maybe not in the way that some people would like her to change. Some influencers that I've seen personally, who I follow for a long time kind of lose themselves to fit into a certain norm. That was kind of what I wanted to mirror, but I would say on a more extreme level. So there is change, but not necessarily the most like, oh, she really learned her lesson. Like she became a better person. Not necessarily like that, I would say not saying too much.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yeah, that's Liane Zhang. Her new novel is Julie Chan is Dead. Thank you so much for talking with us.

[Lian Zhang]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Foreign.

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