A social media influencer's empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.
“As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight of a whodunnit as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is spared—including the readers—but everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.”—Jessie Gaynor, author of The Glow
What do you really know about the people you’ve made famous?
“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty-five years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?
April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over intellectual property; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest . . . well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious “friend of the family,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.
A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.
“The Kardashians meets Knives Out—a whodunit murder mystery with slices of a Virgin Suicides Greek chorus. . . showing the dark fallout of growing up with the pressure of profit-oriented choices under an endless public eye . . . I whipped through it!”—Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face
“The Influencers is a witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged. . . . A gorgeous, gloriously scathing story.”—Ashley Herring Blake, author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date
“Juicy, twisty, and full of ruthless details . . . Be careful who you unfollow—they just might kill you.”—Maggie Thrash, author of Rainbow Black
“A murder mystery crossed with a cautionary tale about family, authenticity, and social media . . . funny, heartbreaking, wonderfully written.”—Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers
“As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight of a whodunit as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is spared—including the readers—but everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.”—Jessie Gaynor, author of The Glow
“Anna-Marie McLemore’s adult debut brilliantly dissects the pressures of influencer culture, privacy, and power while exploring the complex dynamics of sisterhood. The Influencers is sharp and cunningly plotted, and McLemore’s voice and wit shine through, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a smart, subversive take on contemporary life. Gripping and thought-provoking, The Influencers balances escapist fun with deep social commentary.”—Christina McDowell, author of The Cave Dwellers
A social media influencer's empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.
“As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight of a whodunnit as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is spared—including the readers—but everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.”—Jessie Gaynor, author of The Glow
What do you really know about the people you’ve made famous?
“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty-five years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?
April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over intellectual property; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest . . . well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious “friend of the family,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.
A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.
Praise
“The Kardashians meets Knives Out—a whodunit murder mystery with slices of a Virgin Suicides Greek chorus. . . showing the dark fallout of growing up with the pressure of profit-oriented choices under an endless public eye . . . I whipped through it!”—Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face
“The Influencers is a witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged. . . . A gorgeous, gloriously scathing story.”—Ashley Herring Blake, author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date
“Juicy, twisty, and full of ruthless details . . . Be careful who you unfollow—they just might kill you.”—Maggie Thrash, author of Rainbow Black
“A murder mystery crossed with a cautionary tale about family, authenticity, and social media . . . funny, heartbreaking, wonderfully written.”—Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers
“As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight of a whodunit as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is spared—including the readers—but everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.”—Jessie Gaynor, author of The Glow
“Anna-Marie McLemore’s adult debut brilliantly dissects the pressures of influencer culture, privacy, and power while exploring the complex dynamics of sisterhood. The Influencers is sharp and cunningly plotted, and McLemore’s voice and wit shine through, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a smart, subversive take on contemporary life. Gripping and thought-provoking, The Influencers balances escapist fun with deep social commentary.”—Christina McDowell, author of The Cave Dwellers
