Winnie M. Li

This is a complex story about Sarah Lai, a Chinese American, trying to make a name for herself in the film industry. Against all odds she finds herself an insider which had many perks but soon proved to be too good to be true. She ends up getting in over her head with many powerful and demanding bosses. She is grateful to find her way to a teaching job leaving all the trauma behind until she is approached by a journalist. Thom works for the New York Times and is working with a famous film producer. Sarah decides that it is time to finally reveal the sordid details of life in the industry. It becomes her "me too" movement. It's a precautionary tale of being careful for what you wish.… (meer)

TW: Sexual discrimination, sexual harrassment, sexual assault

Complicit takes place early in the #MeToo world, with an investigative reporter researching allegations against producer Hugo North. Sarah Lai is a community college teacher who is interviewed by NY Times journalist Thom Gallagher about her experiences as an associate producer on the movie Furious Her. Through flashbacks, Sarah’s thoughts, and interview transcripts, readers are drawn into the sordid behavior behind the scenes.

After college, Sarah went to work at Firefly films as an unpaid intern working closely with writer/director Xander and producer Sylvia, eventually moving into a paid position. They go to the Cannes Film Festival, hoping that a screening of The Cold Hard Blue can attract investors to pay for post-production costs and raise money for their next movie, Furious Her. Enter Hugo North, who will provide funding if he joins the production company.

Hugo uses his money to turn the production company, now called Conquest, to move the movie from New York City to Los Angeles. Money means power, and Hugo uses his power in questionable ways. Sarah appears to have opportunities as an associate producer but finds herself being dragged into Hugo’s dark world. Is Sarah another name on the list of Hugo’s victims, or is she complicit in Hugo’s indiscretions? Could she be both?

I added trigger warnings to this review because Complicit triggered me. I had to walk away from the book multiple times and almost didn’t finish it. Li’s description of the toxic work environment was excruciatingly vivid. While the #MeToo movement was sparked by the entertainment industry, too many women can relate to the story in Complicit. I can relate because my early career was in a similarly toxic work environment. The book’s detail can bring up unpleasant memories for women pushed down by The Good Old Boys’ Club.

Complicit goes beyond the explicit assaults and harassment used to subjugate women. Sarah’s experiences depict women facing the horrible choice of either compromising themselves and other women or getting forced out. One of the most painful aspects of Complicit is the impact the toxic environment had on women in the workplace. As women fought for relevance, they also undermined or ignored other women’s struggles. Complicit uses interview transcripts about other women’s views on Sarah and the production company to show the cruelty and lack of sensitivity to other women trying to deal with a toxic environment.

Complicit is not an easy read. It’s a fascinating look into movie making. But Li pulls no punches when she’s exposing the open wounds of the toxicity behind the scenes. Yes, the reader may be uncomfortable with the explicit detail. But Complicit succeeds because it makes the reader uncomfortable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Emily Beslter Books for providing a review copy of the book.… (meer)

Complicit by Winnie M Li is a highly recommended literary fiction novel and an inside examination of the MeToo movement.

Sarah Lai is currently teaching screenplay writing at community college, but she always loved movies and dreamed of a successful job in the movie industry. Ten years earlier, she was thrilled to have a chance to get her foot in the door as an unpaid intern at Firefly Films with the founder Sylvia Zimmerman. Sarah impresses Sylvia with her hard work and dedication so she officially hired by the production company. Up-and-coming writer and director Xander Schulz is working on a script for his first feature film and Sarah will be the assistant producer on it. When the film is shown at Cannes, British billionaire Hugo North is impressed. He backs the company, rebranding Firefly as Conquest. Xander's next movie is going to be filmed in Los Angeles and will be the break-out film for famous actor Holly Randolph.

When Sarah is contacted by New York Times writer Thom Gallagher who wants to interview her, she is reluctant to tell her story from year ago, but agrees to do so, if only to set the record straight about the abuse of power by Hugo that ended her career. She is also questioning if her actions were somehow complicit in perpetuating the exploitation.

The narrative mainly consists of Sarah telling her story to Thom with some excerpts from present day interviews of other people Thom is talking to randomly mixed into the story. Thom is an investigative reporter, so he is talking to several people from Hugo's past. He may ask a few questions, but most of the novel is Sarah telling her story as well as the shorter interviews of others telling their story or trying to hide it. There are other themes beyond the exploitation of woman which include the experiences of immigrant Americans and family dynamics.

The quality of the writing is excellent, which is what pulled me into Sarah's story, elements of which can be found in the story of the lives of many women. The actual idea of complicity is introduce, but not explored deeply at a personal level, although it is clearly described in the atmosphere surrounding the film industry and wealthy and powerful men. Perhaps pointing it out and allowing Sarah to feel guilt over something that was basically beyond her control is enough. The whole industry is culturally skewed toward exploitation and the objectification of women.

Sarah is a complicated woman and an unforgettable character in many ways. The novel is really about Sarah's life. Complicit is Sarah's ode to her passion for movies, as well as a brush with fame before she is forced to face cold hard reality. All the characters are basically filtered through Sarah's point-of-view, with Thom's interviews adding a twist to them. It is also the story of many Chinese-Americans in many of the details her family and life. Admittedly, while I found it interesting, there could have been some paring down of details from Sarah's early love of movies and her initial years with Firefly.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria/Emily Bestler Books.
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