Review of Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Immaculate Conception explores art and inspiration; how trauma shapes us; the fraught prospect of altering memories; and the blessing and curse of wealth, power, and necessary compromises in this tale of ambition, love, and deep envy spiraling into an out-of-control collective force.

In an imagined near-future world, Enka is from a fringe family, with little exposure to ideas, art, creativity, or opportunity. Yet she secures herself a position at an art school, where she struggles with imposter syndrome and individuality--and quickly befriends Mathilde, a young woman who may be the most unique and inspiring artist of their generation.

Mathilde's creativity knows no bounds, and she soars to great fame--which she eschews--while coping with deep personal tragedies and a painful past.

Enka marries into an immensely wealthy family, hoping her comfort will allow her to explore her own technology-based art. But the company's business is in cutting-edge technology tied to brain-altering treatments related to memory and trauma, which ends up changing Enka's life in immeasurable ways.

At the intersection of the women's lives comes a bizarre linking of their minds, possible because of technological advancements from Enka's husband's company. But her husband himself is, unknowingly, deeply affected by the discoveries made by his father. And the interwoven minds of Enka and Mathilde make for a blurred double existence where creative inspiration, coping with past trauma, and living in the present all become too complicated to parse as one being or the other, and the women lose themselves into a collective, disjointed, uncomfortable joint reality.

In this speculative fiction story, issues of memory, creativity, wealth and power, envy, fame, self-doubt, and fear combine into an uncomfortable set of compromises, lies, and decisions that alternately bring together Enka and Mathilde, drive wedges between them, and deeply jeopardize their trust, friendship, and their senses of self.

More from this Author--and More Books about Memory

Ling Ling Huang is also the author of the novel Natural Beauty.

For other Bossy reviews of books about memory, please check out the titles at this link.