“A razor-sharp, slow-simmered and brooding novel of deception, Kira Chung Judish’s The Ivy Lie follows a lie that spirals into unmitigated chaos around a mother and daughter willing to do anything to achieve a far-flung American dream. But whose dream, exactly?”—Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up to You and Flux

In the vein of R.F. Kuang, Celeste Ng, Angie Kim and Rachel Khong, a wildly compelling debut novel about the high-cost of ambition, the allure of the American dream, and the disastrous impact of a faked Harvard acceptance letter on a tight-knit community of overachievers.

A daughter’s lie, a mother’s pride, and one fake Harvard acceptance letter that spirals wildly out of control

The Chois are a gireogi family; Dasom Choi moved to the U.S. with her daughter, Minjee, while Seojun, Minjee’s father, stayed in Korea to work and provide for them. Despite the loneliness and ostracization from fellow moms, Dasom elbowed her way into Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the most prestigious and competitive school districts in America, determined to give Minjee the best shot at achieving the ultimate marker of success: getting into Harvard.

When Harvard’s early admission letters arrive, Minjee is deferred and all she can think about is her mother’s lifetime of sacrifices. Minjee wants to tell her mother the truth, but when she looks into Dasom’s hopeful, expectant eyes, she can’t bear to break her mother’s heart.

So, she lies.

It’s temporary, Minjee thinks, she’ll surely get accepted to excellent schools over the next few months—maybe even Harvard! After all, no one works harder than she does. But things are never so simple, and soon the little white lie takes on a life of its own, forcing Minjee and Dasom into a cutthroat performance of deception. In a privileged place of high-achievers where Harvard acceptances are in short supply, one person’s downfall is another’s triumph.

Told in alternating mother-daughter perspectives and including a chorus of nosy neighbors, competitive classmates, and PTA parents, The Ivy Lie reveals the dangerous consequences of the relentless pressure to succeed and the double-edged sword of a mother’s dreams for her child. A darkly funny, subversive, and irresistibly entertaining debut novel, it marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice.